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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25167745">Wanderer of the Ashes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshesoftheSuperNova/pseuds/AshesoftheSuperNova'>AshesoftheSuperNova</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Drama, Family, Friendship, Mystery, References to Depression</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:40:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>44,050</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25167745</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshesoftheSuperNova/pseuds/AshesoftheSuperNova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Seven years after the Rise, Caesar and the apes think the worst of their struggles are finally over. However, trouble ensues when they find a ragtag troop of apes and a human girl sick from the simian flu with a baby orangutan and dog in the woods. Caesar takes her in along with the other apes, assuming that it will be a harmless, merciful act before her inevitable death. But then she lives. She says her name is Evelyn but she prefers Eve. She says she escaped with the other apes from a lab experimenting on them to find a cure for the flu. She says that her family and friends are dead and that she poses no threat to the apes. But who is Eve really?<br/>NOTE: Includes characters and events from the books Firestorm and Revelations and the tie-in comics, though some plot points will be changed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Blue Eyes/Lake (Planet of the Apes 2011), Caesar/Cornelia (Planet of the Apes 2011), Cedar/Grey (Planet of the Apes 2011), Ellie/Malcolm (Planet of the Apes 2011), Nova &amp; Maurice (Planet of the Apes 2011), Rocket/Tinker (Planet of the Apes 2011)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p><br/>
Maurice had just finished teaching at the school when they heard it. It was early afternoon and he had been hoping to explain the concept of the alphabet to the younger apes while he still could hold their attention. The assortment of tiny apes, while delightfully eager and energetic, were easily distracted, especially when they knew the males were due back from the hunt.</p>
<p><br/>
Hooting at a young bonobo whose eyes had visibly glazed over at the back of the class, Maurice desperately tried to recapture their attention, sketching the letter ‘<strong>A</strong>’ on a chunk of slate and holding up it for the class to see.</p>
<p><br/>
Caesar and he had agreed that it was important that the apes learnt human words and letters despite what some of the other apes said. Maurice could understand why many of the apes would want to shirk anything human but he also felt that apes could learn a lot from humans. Humans were capable of being extremely cruel creatures – <em>he</em> would know – but he also knew that they were undeniably clever.</p>
<p><br/>
Besides, it seemed they would have to contend with the world the humans had created – even seven winters after the rise of the apes, you could still find signs of humanity, whether it was the crumpled plastic packets occasionally floating in the wind or the lonely, sighing buildings sporadically dotted about in woods. The human lights, the fires and the screaming that had followed the rise, however, had long since died out.</p>
<p><br/>
Suddenly, a chorus of hoots signalled the arrival of the hunting party. Knowing the pretence of a class was now doomed, Maurice dismissed the children, who promptly clambered over to the gate, hooting, and squealing with excitement, the toddlers being immediately scooped up by their disapproving mothers.<br/>
As per usual, Caesar, Rocket, and Koba were the first to ride through the gate, swiftly followed by the rest of the party, all donning their war paint and carrying several deer carcasses.</p>
<p>Maurice rumbled approvingly – it seemed like their hunt had been successful.</p>
<p><br/>
Caesar was dismounting from his horse as his son, Blue Eyes, eagerly awaited him below. At his tender age, Blue Eyes still clung to his father, following him wherever he went. That would change as Blue Eyes grew up, Maurice knew. Adolescence tended to make apes … <em>difficult</em> to say the least. But it was nice to see while it lasted.</p>
<p><br/>
Maurice had just raised his hand in greeting towards his friend when a piercing, mournful howl rang out from the trees. A sudden stillness settled over the village; the apes rendered mute by the scream. There was a beat of silence before another, much sharper shriek sounded across the village.</p>
<p><br/>
There was something about the howl that made Maurice’s hair stand on end. They all knew the sound of a wolf’s howl – in fact, in the years after the rise they had all become accustomed to the strange calls and sounds of the woods’ wildlife. But this was different. Much different.</p>
<p>Maurice and Caesar looked at each other gravely. More trouble. Most likely more <em>human</em> trouble.</p><hr/>
<p>In the end, it was decided that Caesar, Koba, Rocket, Luca, Maurice, and a handful of other apes would investigate the howls. Caesar had not wanted Maurice to come with them at first, worried that he may get hurt, especially as he was an ape not known for hunting or fighting skills. But, of course, Maurice insisted. He could more than take care of himself and, besides, he <em>needed</em> to know. Caesar did not argue – he knew better than to disagree when Maurice was being stubborn (but then and again, when wasn’t he?).</p>
<p>They set off on their horses, unable to tell how far away the howls were. The cries carried over the woods easily, seeming to physically bounce off the trees. <em>Echoes</em>, Maurice thought, <em>yes, that is what the humans called it.</em></p>
<p><br/>
The howls were constant, tapering off briefly as if pausing for breath before picking up again. Sometimes they sounded like an ape hooting, quick, short whoops. Other times, the call was long and sombre, almost sounding like a song.</p>
<p><br/>
They had ridden some distance, carefully guiding their horses through the trees. They were unfamiliar with this part of the woods and the light of day was slowly fading. They would have to go back soon if they did not find the source of the wails.</p>
<p><br/>
They were close, Maurice guessed. The wailing, blaring from a distance, was practically ear-splitting now. He was about to say as much when the cries cut off abruptly.</p>
<p><br/>
Suddenly, a small, dark shape burst out of one of the trees above them, leaping onto another tree further along.</p>
<p><br/>
The apes hooted in alarm, some of their horses twisting and bucking in fear. Maurice put a soothing hand on his horse’s neck to reassure her, quickly stopping her rearing.</p>
<p><br/>
The shape turned, staring at them. Bright green eyes peered down at them from a small, furry white face. Looking closer at the shape, Maurice could see its body was covered with black fur, accompanied by oddly long arms and legs draped around the tree trunk. <em>An ape perhaps?</em> Maurice wondered. <em>No, a monkey. I have never seen an ape like that before.</em></p>
<p><br/>
The monkey/ape gazed down at them for a few moments before visibly jerking its head to the left, further into the woods. After appearing to wait as if to make sure that the apes had seen the gesture, it scampered down onto a branch before launching itself from the tree, catching the branch of the tree next to it with its strange long arms and swinging in the direction it had indicated.</p>
<p><br/>
The apes looked at each other nervously.</p>
<p><br/>
<em>It wants us to follow it</em>, Maurice said.</p>
<p><br/>
<em>No</em>, Koba said, <em>it's too dangerous. It could be a human trick.</em></p>
<p><br/>
<em>How?</em> Maurice said sceptically. <em>It looks like an ape. It might need our help.</em></p>
<p><br/>
Koba grunted. <em>Might be a monkey trained by humans to lead us to them. To trap apes.</em></p>
<p><br/>
Caesar had said nothing so far, looking deep in thought. Rocket, as usual, was looking to Caesar to decide.</p>
<p><br/>
Maurice turned to Caesar. <em>We should go and see</em>, he insisted. <em>We might not have seen an ape like that before but it must be one. It has our green eyes and seems to be Changed like us. We must offer to help it!</em></p>
<p><br/>
Caesar looked at Maurice, thinking. Eventually, Caesar spoke. “Be careful,” he warned gravely. “We go slow … go together.”</p>
<p><br/>
Relieved, Maurice immediately set off in the direction the ape-monkey had gone, only just keeping up the pretence of being slow. The others followed behind at a steady pace, all the while Koba growled uneasily.</p>
<p><br/>
It was not long after that Maurice saw the ape-monkey waiting on a tree further ahead of them. This time, the ape-monkey was much more urgent, its head and arms lurching violently, pointing deeper into the woods.</p>
<p><br/>
Maurice quickened his pace, ignoring the shouts behind him. Whatever the ape-monkey wanted he knew he needed it fast.</p>
<p>And that is how he almost fell upon them.</p>
<p><br/>
They were a small group of apes of all species and ages, huddled fearfully together. There were ten or more, Maurice guessed, mothers, elders, children. Half in shock, Maurice froze upon his horse, meeting their alarmed stares with his own.</p>
<p><br/>
As the others trotted up behind him, the ape-monkey leapt down from the tree by the group, looking up at Maurice expectantly. Hearing the gasps and whoops behind him, Maurice knew that his friends were seeing what he had seen.</p>
<p><br/>
“What … is this?” Koba gasped.</p>
<p><br/>
As Maurice turned to Caesar, he saw that Caesar had gone still, his breath cut off as if the air had been stolen from his lungs.</p>
<p><br/>
A single male chimpanzee had stepped out from the huddle, carrying something in his arms. The male had several scars, bearing deep cuts and slash wounds on his face and chest. He tramped towards them, awkwardly but gently cradling the bundle he was carrying as if it were a baby. Trailing at his heels was what appeared to be a blue-eyed black and white wolf, which periodically glanced protectively up at the bundle.</p>
<p><br/>
Maurice peered at the bundle sprawled across the chimp’s arms as he approached. When he finally saw what it was, Maurice rocked back on his heels and gasped.</p>
<p><br/>
The ‘bundle’ was, in fact, a human girl. Excluding her head and feet, her whole body had been clumsily wrapped in several moth-eaten blankets. Her dark and matted hair was unbound, hanging straight down except for a few hairs that had plastered to her face. Her face was unnaturally pale, almost grey, and her eyes, dark and bruised, were closed. Each breath she took appeared to be a struggle, her chest heaving desperately. Her breath was wet and rattling. As Maurice looked closer at the girl, he could see a single, thin trickle of blood running from her nose.</p>
<p><br/>
The chimpanzee, instinctively sensing that Caesar was the leader, stood before him and stared at him beseechingly.</p>
<p><br/>
“Help her,” was all he said.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi, thanks for taking the time to read my first fanfic! I've had this story in mind for a long time, and with the lockdown happening, I thought it would be a good time to start writing it.<br/>Just as a side note, the story will include characters and events from both of the books and the comics though some of the events and what happens to the characters will be tweaked slightly.<br/>I would appreciate any criticism or reviews so I know whether to keep going with the story but please be gentle since it's my first one!<br/>Thanks and stay safe :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. We Must Take Them</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>2012</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie is eight years old when she sees Mama. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her three-year-old sister, Amber, is standing beside her, fidgeting excitedly while her older brother of two years, Danny, sighs with boredom as they stare through the glass into the gorilla enclosure.  </em>
</p><p><em>Going to the zoo was probably Dad's idea. A typical family activity, something simple, something </em>easy<em>. Typical for Dad. But Evie doesn't think this right now. She's just happy that she's with her dad, that he actually managed to go out with them at all. </em></p><p>
  <em>Danny is less than impressed. He raps his knuckles on the glass, trying to get the gorillas' attention. The group of gorillas, a silverback with other smaller males and females and their children, don't even bother to look. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What's the point of this?" Danny groans. "They never do anything." He knocks on the glass again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Don't," Evie says, "you're not supposed to do that, they don't like loud-"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Danny sighs again, louder this time. "Evie, can you not be such a goody-goody for once? Nobody's looking."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Amber peers up at them, trying to read their lips. </em>
</p><p>What? <em>Amber signs.</em></p><p>
  <em>"Nothing, don't worry about it," Danny snaps. </em>
</p><p><em>Seeing Amber's face crumple, Danny takes a breath. </em>Sorry, <em>he signs. He playfully pokes her in the ribs, earning him a big grin from Amber.</em></p><p>
  <em>From birth, Amber has always been deaf. Evie remembers how excited she was to finally have a baby sister. In the first few weeks after Amber was born, Evie tried so many times to play with Amber, waving Amber's toys around and giving them silly voices, only for Amber to stare back at her blankly. Amber was diagnosed as being deaf soon after that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It never bothered Evie though – she loved her sister and thought there was nothing better in the world than Amber's face lighting up whenever she saw Evie.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eventually, Amber got hearing aids which allowed her to hear enough to read lips, but Evie was determined to learn sign language anyway. Out of their family, she and her mom were the most fluent in sign, with Danny knowing a few signs (more from being lazy than it being ‘too difficult’, Evie thought) and Dad even less so.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie looks back at the gorillas. One of them (a girl she thinks) is staring them, eyes lit up in interest. </em>
</p><p>Hey, <em>she says, signing and talking at the same time, </em>that gorilla is looking at us.</p><p>
  <em>Amber stands up onto her tippytoes, trying to get a closer look. Danny raises his eyebrows, finally interested. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The gorilla, still looking at them, makes its way to them slowly, coming right up to the glass. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh my god," Evie whispers. She whips her head around the room, trying to find her parents, finally spotting them right at the back of the room, leaning up against the wall. They are directly facing each other, their faces close, talking. They look happy. Evie decides not to interrupt them and turns back to the gorilla.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The gorilla sits up next to the glass, looking down at Amber. Its eyes look kind. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Wrapping his arms around Amber's middle, Danny clumsily lifts Amber up onto the ledge of the enclosure so that she can have a closer look.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Amber grins at the gorilla, waving at it. It waves back. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie doesn't believe it for a few seconds - but then the gorilla waves again and Amber squeals happily, waving her hand even more enthusiastically. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Other people have started to notice, kids and their parents starting to crowd around them. "Wow," a sticky toddler breathes into Evie's side. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Mom, Dad!" Danny shouts. "Look at what this gorilla is doing!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The gorilla stops waving. It starts moving its arms and hands, forming various shapes. It takes Evie's brain a few seconds to realise that it is signing. </em>
</p><p>Child, <em>the gorilla signs. </em>Child. Girl. Pretty.</p><p><em>Amber gasps. </em>Gorilla sign? <em>she asks. </em></p><p>Yes, <em>the gorilla signs back. </em></p><p><em>Evie and Danny are beyond shocked. Evie has watched all the animal documentaries - she likes watching the ones about apes and monkeys - but even she didn't know they could do </em>that<em>.</em></p><p><em>The people around them seem to realise what's going on and they start </em>ooohing <em>and</em> aaahing. <em>Some of them begin filming, some even clap and it annoys Evie. She feels like they're doing something to Amber and the gorilla, that adult word ... </em>patronising<em>. Yes, patronising them. </em></p><p>
  <em>Mom and Dad are coming, edging their way through the crowd. They gasp too. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Looks like you guys have made a friend!" Dad says jokingly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Seeing the happiness on Amber's face from actually being understood, actually spoken to in her own language, Evie thinks, yes, she has made a friend. </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>2012-2016</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>Amber and the gorilla become minor internet celebrities after that. That's how they find out that the gorilla's name is Mama and that she was previously used for some kind of research where they taught her sign language, but she had to be put in the zoo after the researchers couldn't take care of her anymore.</em>
</p><p><em>They visit the zoo more often after that. Amber likes to see Mama and, apparently, Mama likes to see her too. </em> <em>Mama always comes up to Amber when she sees her, sitting right by Amber as she signs with her, only the pane of glass separating them. </em></p><p>
  <em>Evie knows that dad and Danny only thought it was cute for so long. Soon enough, they got irritated with it, probably thinking it was sad to have a gorilla as a 'friend', even if they didn't say it out loud. Mom always made sure Amber got to see Mama though, even if she didn't really understand it herself. </em>
</p><p><em>Evie usually comes along with them too (sometimes with Danny) and Mama would sometimes talk to them as well. Mama - aptly named - </em> <em>always </em><em>had a soft spot for children, the zookeepers told them, and she was trying for a baby with the silverback. He had a 'proper' name too but the kids always just referred to him as Big Poppa.</em></p><p><em>Mama had her own names for them too: Amber was</em> "pretty girl" <em>while Danny became </em> "angry boy" <em>as he grew into a teenager</em>. <em>Evie didn't like hers - recently, Mama just called her</em> "sad girl".</p><p>
  <em>Over time, the other gorillas became more comfortable with them too. Big Poppa especially would come up to them too, watching them curiously. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The last time they see Mama in the zoo, she and Big Poppa have finally had a baby. Evie and Amber come up to see them with Mom. Danny has decided he's far too grown up for the zoo - and Dad is already gone. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>As usual, Mama makes her way over, this time cradling her baby in her arms. Big Poppa follows behind. Mama proudly holds up the baby in her arms for them to see. </em>
</p><p>Have name? <em>Amber asks. </em></p><p>No sign, <em>Mama</em><em> says. </em>No sign name. </p><p>Mama can't sign Mama's baby's name, <em>Evie guesses, deliberately keeping the signs simple for Mama.</em></p><p>Yes, <em>Mama says. </em></p><p>
  <em>Before Mama can say anymore, a little boy shoves between Evie and Amber. "Mommy!" he shrieks. "There's a gorilla and its baby!. It's really cute!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mama backs off, startled. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom, seeing Mama's fear, speaks quietly to the boy. "Sweetheart, you might want to talk just a little quieter. The gorillas don't-"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hey! What you saying to my kid?" shouts a red-faced, blonde bobblehead of woman barrelling towards them. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom holds up her hands, stepping back a few paces, trying to soothe the boy's mother. "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just saying-"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It doesn't matter," the woman snaps. "You were letting your kids hog the window anyways."  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Considering the conversation over, the woman swivels back to her son, jutting her hips out deliberately to block Evie and Amber from the window.</em>
</p><p>Its okay, M<em>om signs to them, waving them over to her. </em>We can just wait until they go. </p><p>I bet her name is Karen, <em>Evie signs bitterly, knowing the mother won't understand her. Amber snorts and Mom lets out a rare, childish giggle, prompting 'Karen' to glare at them. </em></p><p>
  <em>The boy, meanwhile, begins to bang on the glass, shouting at Mamma and Big Poppa. "Come hereeeeeeee!" the kid whines, "I wanna see the baby!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mamma shrinks back even further into the enclosure, eyes wide. Big Poppa, however, approaches the boy, grunting threateningly. The boy, mistaking Big Poppa's behaviour for playing, starts beating his chest at him, hooting. In response, Big Poppa rears onto his back legs, beating at his chest and hooting with rage. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Stop it! Stop that right-" But Mom never gets to finish. Big Poppa is already charging at the boy, fast, so fast, slamming hard into the glass. The glass cracks under the impact and the mother and boy scream with terror. But the glass holds, only fracturing off into several thin spiderwebs.   </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie is shaking, shaking deep into her core. Mom is pale, hands held up to her mouth. </em>
</p><p><em>The mother drags the boy away, screaming for help. Amber is the only one who approaches the enclosure, trying to sign to Big Poppa and Mama through the cracked glass. </em>Calm, <em>she tries to say. </em>Calm, calm, calm. </p><p>
  <em>Mom snaps out of her shock after a few seconds and wrenches Evie and Amber away by their arms. Amber tries to wriggle out of mom's grip but Mom doesn't let up. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yanking them out the room and marching them through and out of the zoo, Mom mutters to herself over and over, saying "we're going, we're going".</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom pushes out them out into the car park, steering them towards the car. Too shocked to complain, Evie and Amber let Mom bundle them into the car. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom thrusts herself into the driving seat, her hands clutching the wheel. Evie can see she is shaking. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That little shit!" Mom spits angrily. She sobs. "That bitch! They've gone and got them killed for that!"</em>
</p><hr/><p>The scarred chimpanzee outstretched the girl in his arms pleadingly towards Caesar. “Help her,” he said again.</p><p>Overcoming his shock, Caesar pulled himself upright, looking down at the chimp. “Who is human … to you?” he managed.</p><p>“Eve … friend. Friend to apes. She help us.”</p><p>Koba scoffed. “She human. Human not help apes.”</p><p>Another, smaller chimpanzee shuffled out from the group. To Maurice’s surprise, this one was wearing human clothes, dressed in a padded blue and white body warmer with a striped, knitted hat on his head.</p><p>“Eve not bad human,” the other chimp said in a quivery but surprisingly coherent voice. “She good human. Good guy. Not bad guy.”</p><p><em>Good guy?  </em>Maurice thought. <em>Strange phrase.</em></p><p>Koba audibly growled. “Impossible! Lies! Humans … evil! Evil … in their blood!”</p><p>At this, the scarred male snarled at Koba, pulling back his lips to expose his jagged fangs. The wolf beside him barked. “You lie,” he retorted. “Eve help us ... help us escape lab! They hurt her too ... make her sick!”</p><p>The chimp's words hit the apes hard. A human in a lab with apes? They were stunned at the thought.</p><p>Koba, momentarily shocked into silence, glared back at the scarred chimp. "No!" he insisted, confused and indignant. "Human ... lies. Human lie to you. You lie..."</p><p>The scarred male hissed and Koba tensed as if to spring.</p><p>Caesar swiftly held up his hand, instantly stopping Koba in his tracks, while also taking care to stare down at the angry scarred male. At this display of dominance, the scarred chimp backed off, hunching his shoulders, though there was still a defiant glare in his eyes.</p><p>Maurice thought over what the chimp had said. He'd never heard of humans being put in labs as well. But the way the scarred male and the strange chimp had defended her ... They clearly cared for her. And why else would they if she hadn't helped them? But there were other questions too: why had she been put in a lab with apes and why had she helped the apes escape with her?</p><p>Caesar was obviously thinking the same thing. “She help you ... out of lab?” Caesar asked doubtfully.  </p><p>The scarred chimp nodded. “We ... all in lab. They hurt us. Hurt humans too. Hurt Eve. She help us ... escape. Help us … find you. But they did something … something that make her sick. That make other humans sick.”</p><p><em>The girl must be sick from the disease that is killing off the humans, </em>Maurice thought. He remembered when Koba reported finding some human bodies in a car and how he described their eyes, noses, and mouths, all dried with blood. <em>Like the blood couldn't stand to be in them anymore,</em> Koba had said. It certainly matched the girl’s symptoms.</p><p>“Why … humans and apes ... in lab?” Caesar asked incredulously.</p><p>The thought of humans experimenting on other humans was odd, true, but Maurice supposed that there were no limits to the cruelty humans could inflict on each other.</p><p>The scarred male shrugged – a strangely human gesture. “Find cure. Try to find cure ... in human and ape.”</p><p>Maurice looked upon the troop, saddened by their plight. He found himself believing the male's story. The apes had clearly suffered much - all of the apes, excluding the children, bore deep and obvious scars all over their bodies. It seemed the girl had suffered too - perhaps more so. Even if he hadn't known what sickened her, he already knew that she was almost certainly going to die.</p><p>Slowly and carefully, Maurice dismounted his horse and made his way towards the group.</p><p><em>Maurice ... </em>Rocket signed, but Maurice held his hand up. <em>Wait, </em>he said. <em>I will talk to them.</em></p><p>Feeling his friends’ eyes upon him as he went, he continued regardless.</p><p>The disfigured chimp bared his teeth threateningly at his approach and the wolf sitting at his heels got up and started growling. From behind, Koba barked harshly in response. The rest of the troop watched him warily, some eyeing Maurice and the girl nervously. The ape-monkey's eyes bored into him. Maurice rumbled soothingly, showing he meant no harm.</p><p>Whenever he could help it, Maurice preferred not to speak at all, finding it harsh on his vocal cords. But now it could not be helped. "Maurice," he rumbled softly, thumping his fist onto his chest.</p><p>The scarred male's eyes narrowed, taking in Maurice's measure. Maurice met his stare, trying his best to not appear threatening.</p><p>For a few moments, Maurice thought he wouldn't get a response from the male until he heard the male grunt "Travis." Maurice smiled encouragingly.</p><p>"Bad Ape!" the strange ape with the hat said suddenly. Everyone snapped their heads round to stare at the strange ape. "Bad Ape," the strange ape repeated shyly, indicating himself. He then gave Maurice and the others an awkward wave.</p><p>Ignoring Bad Ape, Travis nodded at Maurice and relaxed slightly, allowing Maurice closer. The wolf, though clearly agitated, let Maurice pass, its body tensed as if waiting for a signal.</p><p>Looking down on the girl, Maurice felt a swell of pity. The girl was barely conscious, eyes rolling, seemingly unaware of everything around her. Now he was up close to her, he could see that she was wearing a crescent moon hairpin in her long, limp hair and a necklace bearing an orange metal leaf around her neck. Underneath the blankets, directly on the girl’s chest, Maurice could see a thatch of white fur sticking out. Curious, Maurice reached out to touch the fur, flinching when it unexpectedly twitched.</p><p>Cautious but gentle, Maurice peeled back the blanket to reveal a wriggling, snowy-haired and pink-skinned baby orangutan. An albino.</p><p>Startled, Maurice looked up at Travis.</p><p>“Where … mother?” he said softly.</p><p>Travis’s face darkened. He shook his head slowly. “Dead. Killed in escape. Eve ... care for her now.”</p><p>"Name?" Maurice asked.</p><p>Travis shook his head - <em>no</em>.</p><p>Maurice nodded; his mind made up. He turned back towards Caesar.</p><p>
  <em>We must take them.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading my second chapter :)<br/>The plan so far (as seen in this chapter) is to split the narrative between Eve's history and the story happening now, with Evie's history starting the chapters, though probably not as long as the one here. If you think that these parts are too long and/or should be structured differently, I'm happy to take any comments on.<br/>Also, I've introduced Bad Ape earlier into this story than the movies as just makes sense that Eve and Bad Ape meet when they do as you'll see.<br/>On a side note, fun fact - most of my OC ape characters' backstories, appearances and names are based on real apes that I've seen on various documentaries and YouTube videos. You might recognise some!<br/>Stay safe everyone :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. What If She Lives?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <strong>2016</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>The day the end of the world started is surprisingly unremarkable for Evie.</em>
</p><p><em>While the apocalypse is really getting warmed up, Evie is sitting - okay, </em>hiding <em>- in the library, trying (and failing) to pretend she is not eating her lunch. Propping a book up against her pencil case, she tries to sneak in some bites of the sandwich she is balancing on her knees behind the book.  She knows she's not fooling anyone - the librarian's desk is literally in front of her table - but she goes along with the pretence anyway. The librarian lets her do it anyway, probably because he feels sorry for her. She's not sure whether she should be annoyed or touched.</em></p><p>
  <em>She doesn't have lunch in the library because she's bullied or anything (but then Evie doesn't know anybody that hasn't been bullied at some point). She could sit outside with her 'friends' and eat lunch with them like she used to but she doesn't want to. She doesn't have the energy to go through the motions, pretend to listen to people that barely tolerate her and gossip with them. She wants to be by herself - she wants to go home. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Especially since Dad left.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She glances at the clock - three hours to go until she can go and pick up Amber. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Murmuring starts picking up in the library. From his desk, Evie can see the librarian leaning forward in his chair, staring at his computer, eyes wide. The murmuring rises into audible chatter from the kids in the library. Evie's mouth dries and she thinks somehow it has to be about her. Or, to be more precise, about Dad.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The library door abruptly bursts open with a forceful bang. Evie hears heavy, quick footsteps from the other side of the library and feels her heart speed up when she realises they're coming towards her section. </em>
</p><p><em>Evie tenses up, not sure what she should be expecting. </em>It's about Dad, it has to be about Dad... </p><p>
  <em>And then Danny pokes his head around from the opposite bookcase. His face is flushed and he's panting. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Now Evie is sure it's about Dad - Danny wouldn't be caught dead being seen with her in school otherwise. She gets up slowly, trying to ignore the nervous ache in her stomach.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Danny...?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Finally! I knew you would be here!" Danny gasps between breaths. He grabs ahold of Evie's arm and pulls her along with him, out of the library.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Danny, my stuff..." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Doesn't matter," Danny says. "You have to see this! It's all over the news and Facebook. It's crazy!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is it ... is it about Dad?" Evie says, managing to get the words out. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Danny stops suddenly, deliberately staring ahead, not looking at her. "No," he says acidly. "What makes you say that?" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I just thought -" Evie stutters, feeling stupid.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Danny shakes himself off and keeps going, Evie in tow. "Come on," he says steering her into one of the classrooms, "you'll want to see this since you love monkeys so much."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The class's interactive whiteboard is lit up, switched onto one of the news channels. Danny and his friends sometimes sneak in here to 'study'  - which actually meant watching YouTube - and of course, they're here too, facing the screen.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie wants to ask what the hell this is about when she sees what's on the screen.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Apes. Apes everywhere. Apes smashing though windows, apes breaking out of a zoo, apes climbing over cars. The news channel flashes through different pictures and videos of apes rampaging across San Francisco before transitioning to live footage of the Golden Gate Bridge from a helicopter.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The apes have made their way to the bridge, blocked off by a barricade of riot and firearms cops. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>In total shock, Evie finds herself slowly getting closer to the screen.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The apes split off into three groups: Evie can see a group of what she assumed were orangutans and chimpanzees loping towards the sides of the bridge, quickly disappearing underneath while another group climbs onto the suspension cables, up towards the beams. The group of chimpanzees and gorillas that are still on the deck of the bridge charge towards a bus, knocking it down easily as if it were a toy. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Holy shit," one of Danny's friends' whispers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Unbelievably, the gorillas form up, pushing the bus directly towards the barricade. Even up in the helicopter, you can hear and see the shower of bullets pinging off the bus. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The news feed abruptly cuts off "due to violent and graphic imagery". Everyone groans, including Evie. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It's quiet for a few moments. Then Danny's friends start talking.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What's wrong with them?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's gotta be rabies. Monkeys don't do that."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, it's like that zombie shit - you know that British zombie movie."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"28 Weeks Later?"</em>
</p><p><em>"28 </em>Days <em>Later dumbass. Anyway, it's like that rage virus stuff that turns monkeys into zombies."</em></p><p>
  <em>“What’s going to happen to them?” Evie cuts in, painfully reminded of Mama. It's been months since they've seen Mama, Big Poppa or their baby. Evie doesn't even know if any of them are still alive. The zoo wouldn't tell them and banned them from ever going in again since their presence 'obviously' caused the gorillas' aggression. Its what Mom calls "hush-hush". </em>
</p><p><em>“Isn’t it obvious?” Danny says, rolling his eyes. “They've</em><em> probably got ape rabies or something. </em> <em>They’re going to slaughter them. Shoot 'em up. Just like -" </em></p><p>
  <em>"Shut up Danny," Evie hisses before she can stop herself, storming out of the class and leaving Danny with his mouth open and his asshole friends laughing at him.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>Later, Evie is walking home with Amber from school. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Amber already knows about the apes - everyone in her school was talking about it too. Some kid was showing it on his phone at lunch, watching it on YouTube. Unfortunately for the kid, his phone got taken off of him when teachers noticed the crowd of kids ringed around him cheering and whooping as they watched a silverback gorilla hurl a cop from his car and off the bridge. </em>
</p><p><em>Evie checks for news on her phone. It turns out that the apes made it across the bridge and managed to get into somewhere called Muir Woods. Amber's happy for the apes but Evie's not so hopeful - there have been reports that groups of </em><em>armed men</em> <em>are going into the woods. And Evie knows they're going in to kill.</em></p><p>Are they really going to do that? <em>Amber signs, thinking over what Evie told her. </em>Kill them all? Like Mama?</p><p><em>Evie flinches. </em>We don't know that Mama's dead, <em>Evie signs half-heartedly. </em>They might have just put her, Poppa and the baby somewhere so they can be safe.</p><p>
  <em>Amber gives her a look. She doesn't believe her.</em>
</p><p>It's not fair, <em>Amber signs. </em>I wouldn't want to be in a cage all time either.</p><p>Cage? <em>Evie asks. </em>You mean zoos? </p><p><em>Amber nods.</em> Mama called the zoo a cage.</p><p>Yeah, I remember. She used to say she was bored all the time.</p><p>But why do they need to hurt them? <em>Amber insists. </em>All they want is to be free.</p><p>I know. But I guess apes being free would scare people. <em>Evie paused, picturing Mama, Poppa and their baby riddled with bullets. </em>Good for them.</p>
<hr/><p>In the end, Caesar agreed to take the troop back to the village. It wasn't the smoothest of decisions - Koba, in particular, was incredibly hard to convince. He was angry and for good reason; though Koba didn't like to share the specific details of what humans had done to him, it was obvious to Caesar that he had suffered enormously. But Caesar trusted Maurice, and it wasn't often that Caesar went against Maurice's advice. </p><p>Like Maurice, Caesar had made his decision as soon as he saw the baby orangutan in the human girl's arms. Seeing the small infant nestled against the girl's chest stirred emotions and memories Caesar had long since tried to forget. He'd felt a painful pang in his chest as he remembered Will caring for him when he was young, holding Caesar to his chest whenever he was scared or sad in the same way the little orang was held. </p><p>Caesar thought he had long since accepted the true, callous nature of humanity and their inevitable decline into violence and extinction. But deep down, he still held hope. Will, Charles, Caroline - they had been good people and loved him as one of their own. Was it so impossible that there could be other humans out there in the world that cared for and helped apes, treating them as equals? Caesar refused to believe that. But he also knew he would have to convince the others that this was a wise decision, not one purely made from love for humans.</p><p>Assuming the troop didn't know sign language, Caesar made his case to his friends: <em>The girl is obviously cared for by these apes. The baby alone is proof of that. I do not think that the girl could </em><em>have </em><em>somehow tricked all these apes into lying for her and bringing her here. What advantage would she gain? Why would </em><em>she </em><em>take in a baby that is not her own if she didn't care?</em></p><p>Mentioning the baby seemed to convince most of them; Caesar spied Luca physically softening as he laid eyes on the girl and the infant. </p><p>Koba, true to form, would not be persuaded. "Could have - stolen baby - from mother!" he said contemptuously, outrage coating each syllable. "Kill child's mother!"</p><p>Travis hissed and Caesar could hear other apes in the group growl quietly. "Killed by human, yes - not Eve. We try to save mother - but she shot by soldier. Eve - mother to baby now," Travis snapped.</p><p>Koba's face twisted in disgust at the mention of Eve being the child's mother. He clearly wanted to say more but Caesar silenced him with a look, holding out a placating hand to Travis. </p><p>It seemed Caesar would have to be blunt. <em>Koba, </em>he signed, <em>I know you do not trust this human. But she is clearly sick from the disease that has been killing the humans. She doesn't pose a threat. </em>He paused, phrasing his words carefully. <em>She is dying. She is going to die. She will not be able to harm us. </em></p><p>Caesar saw Koba look the human over at his words, taking her blanched face and bleeding nose with grim satisfaction.</p><p>Caesar didn't know everything about the sickness, true, but he knew that humans were dying in large numbers. Before the Rise, the woods would have been teeming with humans walking and exploring. These days, there was barely any sign of them. The apes considered it a rare find if a single human was seen on foot <em>near</em> the woods, let alone driving in a car. Based on that and the girl's condition, he was fairly certain of what would happen next.</p><p><em>It would be a mercy, </em>Caesar said, trying to sound rational rather than empathetic.</p><p>Koba sighed, finally relenting. <em>I do as you command, </em>Koba conceded, holding out his palm in apology for his earlier defiance. Caesar swiped it quickly, taking Koba's acceptance while he still had it. </p><p>
  <em>It is decided then.</em>
</p><p>As he made to go, Maurice put his hand on Caesar's arm and subtly pointed him to a gorilla in the troop. A young male gorilla's stricken face stared back at him and Caesar's gut twisted.</p><p>The male had understood everything they were saying.</p><p>Caesar wanted to say something, anything, to soften the blow but the gorilla looked away before he could find the words.</p><p>Getting back to the village was slow. Travis insisted on going slowly, taking the utmost care not to jolt Eve. The apes were also slowed by the troop's gear, most of it bagged and crudely shoved into a rusting shopping cart. The cart was pushed along by an exasperated silverback, who was struggling to navigate the cart across the bumpy and treacherous forest floor. The troop had an odd mix of things in the cart: pairs of sunglasses, cans of food, a large metal club, books, children's toys, human clothes and army-issued bags made up some of the many things rattling inside. The younger male gorilla wore a purple sports rucksack that Caesar suspected belonged to the human.</p><p>As they went, Caesar took stock of the troop, learning their names.</p><p>The young gorilla was named Sugriva. The three other gorillas were mountain gorillas, which was strange as mountain gorillas usually weren't held captive by humans. They had been taken from the wild and put into the lab directly. They comprised of the silverback (Jambo) a female (Kali) and their infant son (Bear). </p><p>The two teenage bonobo sisters were Yolanda and Olive. Both, Caesar noted, appeared to be very close to Eve, often checking on her throughout the journey.</p><p>The three orangutans (a young mother, her toddler and an older, unrelated male) were Lily, Autumn and Kopral. Kopral's injuries were the most horrific among the troop: both of his arms were missing, having been burnt right off to his shoulders during his time at the lab, though Kopral wouldn't say any more than that. Despite his injuries, Kopral was still able to walk on his back legs and appeared to be quite happy. Caesar admired the orangutan's strength and determination.</p><p>The largest group in the troop was the chimpanzees: including Travis, Bad Ape, two teenage males (Rama and Eshu) two adult females (Gaia and Harley) and a mother and her little boy (Star and Grape). </p><p>The wolf was a dog <em>supposedly </em>(Caesar wasn't sure if he completely believed that). The 'dog' - Luna - was a stray husky that Eve had found and taken in years ago. Caesar wasn't sure if he wanted to bring the 'dog' into the village at first. Caesar did not have a good history with dogs - he didn't like dogs and dogs didn't like him. It was bad enough when they'd always bark at him on his walks with Will. Nowadays, without their owners to feed them, packs of hungry dogs from the city would prowl through the woods looking for food, sometimes attacking apes. Despite the fact that apes were better protected from the dogs now the gorilla gate and guard were established, it didn't make Caesar any fonder of them.</p><p>However, Sugriva insisted that Luna come with them. She had been trained very well by Eve and himself he argued, able to understand commands in both sign and spoken word. Sugriva even demonstrated this for Caesar, signing for Luna to sit, which she did, tail wagging happily. She was tame and only aggressive when provoked or being protective, Sugriva persisted. Caesar eventually relented, sternly warning Sugriva of the consequences if the dog attacked any of the apes. Though Caesar tried to tell himself that he allowed the dog to come with them due to the problems that would arise if he didn't, the truth was that he did out of guilt for Sugriva. The dog was trotting at Sugriva's heels now, occasionally glancing up at Eve.</p><p>As it turned out, the ape-monkey was a siamang gibbon called Banshee. </p><p>"Eve say gibbons are apes like us!" Bad Ape explained with surprising cheer to Caesar. "So they smart like us too!"</p><p>Travis snorted. "So she <em>say</em>..." he mumbled to himself under his breath. "I still say ... it's a monkey."</p><p>The said-monkey was watching them from his perch on a nearby tree, swinging from tree to tree as the group progressed. </p><p>"He doesn't talk much. Or talk with hands. Doesn't talk at all actually..." Bad Ape trailed off.</p><p>"Because it's a monkey," Travis said bluntly. </p><p>Banshee, deciding to demonstrate his excellent sign language skills, stuck his finger up at Travis, his teeth flashing into what suspiciously looked like a grin when Travis snarled at him. </p><p>"He doesn't speak ... at all? Why he ... with you?" Caesar asked.</p><p>"Oh no, no, no, no. Just screams sometimes. So we call him Banshee. Like the screaming ghost, Eve says. He follow us when we get out of bad place. Lab. Don't know why." Bad Ape's face brightened. "We get out of bad place and find you. So you save Eve now!"</p><p>Caesar winced. He and Maurice shared a grim look. </p><p>"We can ... try," he said hesitantly, not wanting to outright lie. To avoid saying anything else, Caesar urged his horse onward, away from Bad Ape and the others and towards the village.</p><p>The gorilla guard was waiting for him at the gate as he rode in. He signed quickly to them, ordering them to let everyone in before riding ahead to the heart of the village, where Cornelia and Blue Eyes were waiting for him. He dismounted from his horse briskly, rushing to his wife.</p><p><em>All I ask is that you trust me, </em>Caesar signed to her. Cornelia's eyes widened in worry but before she could ask him what he meant the others started arriving. </p><p>Hoots of fear and excitement sounded across the village. The apes had never seen other apes from the outside world; it was generally assumed that the Colony were the only apes who were Changed due to the mist Caesar had given them. To see other intelligent apes was a shock to them.</p><p>Then shrieks of alarm began to go off. Evidently they had seen Eve and Luna.  </p><p>Slowly, the rest of the group made their way into the courtyard. Travis was clutching Eve tighter than ever, striving to shield Eve from the apes' stares with his body. He cautiously scanned the apes, alert for any sign of danger. Clearly Maurice hadn't won his trust completely.</p><p>The apes climbed down from the village walls, crowding around Travis and trying their best to get a look at Eve. Some were so young that they would have never seen a human in their entire lives. Blue Eyes was straining to look too, even clambering onto his mother's back in an attempt to see the funny-looking creature.</p><p>Travis drew back, baring his teeth in fear and anger. Luna flew to his side at once, hackles raised.</p><p>"GET - BACK!" Caesar roared and the apes shrank back, sheepish.</p><p>Cornelia stepped forwards, eyes huge with shock as she took in Travis, Eve and the troop. Cornelia glanced at Caesar questioningly. </p><p><em>Human brought apes here. All from a lab. Human is very sick, </em>Caesar said by way of explanation. </p><p>Cornelia regarded Travis and Eve, spying the baby orang. Her face set determinedly and for a moment Caesar wasn't sure what she was thinking.</p><p><em>We need Tinker to gather the healers,</em> Cornelia said. <em>Her condition is very bad and the baby is distressed. </em></p><p>Caesar sucked in a breath, relieved his wife was of the same mind as him. It was one of the many things he loved about his wife - her constant and reliable warmth and selflessness.</p><p>The baby orangutan, who had been lulled to sleep as it gently swayed in Eve's arms, was now very much awake, squirming against the blankets wrapped around it. Its face, already an unusually bright shade of pink, flushed with blood and outrage, its limbs flailing out from the blankets. Its mouth opened and closed, working up into a cry. </p><p>The female gorilla, Kali, rushed to the baby. <em>I - take - baby - girl, </em>she signed, her movements drawn out and clumsy. <em>Hungry. </em></p><p>"You ... feed baby?" Caesar inferred, guessing Kali was unused to sign language.</p><p>Kali nodded, relieved he understood. Smoothly taking Bear from her arms and placing him onto her back, Kali held out her arms, waiting. Taking great care, Cornelia scooped up the baby and passed her to Kali. Caesar thought the baby would have been soothed by being in an ape's arms, especially one with mother's milk. But as soon as the baby was taken from Eve, her vividly red face crumpled and she let out a piercing squeal. Although Caesar was a father himself, he could never get used to such tiny, fragile things being able to scream so <em>loudly</em>.</p><p>Kali, unfazed, kept a firm hold on the shrieking baby girl and hugged the infant to her chest. "Only ... come ... for ... feed," Kali managed in a thick, husky voice, acknowledging the confusion on Caesar's and Cornelia's faces. </p><p><em>Curious, </em>Caesar mused. <em>Why would a baby ape shun a mother ape that feeds her over a human girl that cannot? </em>He wanted to ask Kali more but Cornelia was calling Tinker and the healers over. It would have to wait. </p><p>Tinker, closely followed by the other healers, jumped down from the upper deck surrounding the village, recoiling when she saw Eve and Luna.</p><p><em>This girl </em><em>needs help, </em>Cornelia said coolly, answering Tinker's quizzical look. <em>We need to go to the Shelter.</em></p><p>Tinker accepted this without question. Led by Cornelia, Tinker and the healers steered Travis and Eve into the Shelter, the large, airy hut the apes used to house the sick and wounded. Luna darted in after them. The other apes went to follow but Cornelia stopped them. <em>Stay here, </em>she said kindly. <em>We will do everything we can to help her. We will find you all somewhere to stay. </em></p><p>Only Caesar caught the flash of gloom in Cornelia's face as she closed the fur flap to the Shelter.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>You did the right thing.</em>
</p><p>It was nightfall and Caesar and Cornelia were lying side by side in their nest, Blue Eyes snuggled up beside them. Neither of them made out as if they were going to sleep - their minds were still pulsing with everything that had happened today. Blue Eyes hadn't wanted to sleep either, chattering excitedly to his parents: <em>what was that, who was that, what is it, why is it here, why does it have such a big nose? </em>Eventually, Cornelia had coaxed Blue Eyes into sleep, stroking his face soothingly until he couldn't fight it any longer and closed his eyes. </p><p><em>She is a human but she is a human that helped these apes, </em>Cornelia continued. <em>They care for her very much. I can see that. It would have been wrong to turn away such a sick, vulnerable girl. Human or not.</em></p><p>Caesar cupped his wife's face lovingly, grateful for her support.</p><p>
  <em>I can't imagine what they suffered. They were all so ... sad. Sad and afraid.</em>
</p><p>Caesar agreed. When the girl had been taken into the Shelter, the remaining members of the troop had huddled together in the courtyard, eyeing the village apes apprehensively. Some of them were visibly cringing, trying their hardest to stay as far away from the other apes as possible. They seemed well and truly lost and Caesar's heart ached for them.</p><p>They had eventually succeeded in housing all of the troop. The Colony had already been expanding the village and so had several huts to spare. As Caesar and Cornelia had decided that families would be prioritised, Jambo, Lily and Star were given their own huts. The chimpanzee girls, Yolanda, Olive, Gaia and Harley shared a hut between themselves. As none of the other huts was finished yet, the rest of the troop were spread out between other apes' houses. Maurice was the first to offer up his home nevertheless he only had space for one other. Kopral, the elder orang, accepted Maurice's offer instantly, quite keen on staying with someone near his own age and species.</p><p>The two chimpanzee boys, Rama and Eshu, were taken in by Khan as his sons Bryn and Tola had recently moved out, and thus could spare the room.</p><p>Travis, Bad Ape and Sugriva hadn't been lodged yet. Travis flatly refused to leave Eve, stubbornly sitting at Eve's side, propping her up against his chest and thumping her back when she coughed. Bad Ape was much the same - while everyone was distracted housing the troop, Bad Ape had slipped off to the Shelter, plopping himself next to Luna guiltily. He hadn't wanted to move either and insisted he was okay sleeping in the Shelter. Sugriva said that he would stand guard.</p><p>Tinker was practically spitting at the thought of <em>three</em> apes <em>and</em> a<em> dog</em> in the Shelter but Cornelia allowed it - she could see how attached they were to Eve. The one thing she was strict on was that the baby girl stayed with Kali. Cornelia felt it would distress the baby more to see her mother-figure so unwell.</p><p>Banshee was nowhere to be seen. As soon as Eve had been taken away, the gibbon, ignoring the rabble in the courtyard, casually walked up to the nearest tree on his creepy, gangly legs and climbed high up into the branches. The troop were unperturbed by this. He just did that apparently.</p><p><em>How is the girl? </em>Caesar asked. He didn't expect good news but it would be cruel not to ask.</p><p>Eve, Cornelia corrected gently, <em>is the same as when we found her. </em><em>Her nose bleeds and she coughs up blood too, thick blood. </em><em>She still sleeps. She raves sometimes. Her eyes open and she talks but we don't think she is really awake. Her eyes ... her pupils are red with the blood. So much blood Caesar ... </em>She shivered.</p><p>Caesar slid a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders. <em>There is not much we can do for her. Her sickness has already killed many of the humans. She will not live.</em></p><p><em>There is hope, </em>Cornelia said, undeterred.<em> We were able to get her to drink without choking her. She drank some of the broth we gave her too. So she must be still aware, even just a little. If we can get her to drink and eat, she may be able to recover. </em></p><p><em>I am not sure if any human has recovered from the sickness, </em>Caesar admitted.</p><p><em>None of us knows. Eve is the only one that probably does. But as long as she is breathing, I will do my best to help her. </em><em>For them. For the baby. </em>Cornelia paused.<em> They need her.</em></p><p><em>The troop are safe with us now Cornelia. With other apes.  If the - </em>Eve <em>- dies we can support them. Kali can care for the baby or another female orangutan can. They can live good lives without her.</em></p><p>
  <em>But I don't think they can. I've seen the way they look at her. Those three in the Shelter especially. Apes look at you the same way.</em>
</p><p>Caesar fell silent. He knew what Cornelia was saying was true - he had seen himself how adrift the troop looked without her. They needed Eve. They would be broken if she died, Caesar was sure.</p><p>But what would they do if she lived? What would <em>he</em> do?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading my third chapter and, as always, feedback is appreciated.<br/>We'll be hearing from present-day Eve soon but not just yet - the next chapter will be looking at how the apes (especially Koba) react to her being there as well as Tinker and the others trying to save her.<br/>My OC Kopral is a recent addition that I made based on the real-life orangutan of the same name that has been in the news recently. Kopral was sadly held captive from a young age and had his arms burnt and eventually removed by an electric fence as he was trying to escape his captors. Fortunately, he was rescued by the Orangutan School and has learnt to forage and climb with just his legs. I recommend looking it up if you want to know more.<br/>And, yes, I named the baby chimp Grape. I couldn't help myself.<br/>Stay safe everyone :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Blood, Blood And More Blood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warnings: graphic description of blood and a seizure.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>2016</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>It is only a day after the Rise of the Apes, and everything is already going to shit. They called it the “Monkeygate Scandal” on the news (stupid name if you asked Evie). Their ideas on why the apes suddenly went crazy and started an uprising generally weren’t any better than Danny’s ‘ape rabies’ theory. There was always at least one guy speculating that the ‘terrorists’ did it. Who the terrorists were and how exactly they’d made the apes go mad in the first place was never made clear.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie, Amber, Danny, and Mom are eating dinner when the CDC and WHO declare a medical emergency and quarantine measures in San Francisco. Some new mysterious airborne virus. Fever and a cough. Eight people dead. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom’s eyes are glued to the screen and she starts chewing on her thumbnail nervously. There’s a look in Mom’s eyes that Evie doesn’t like. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom insists on watching the whole report from start to finish. That’s not weird in itself - Mom watches the news every morning because she “likes to know what is going on in the world”: AKA looking out for a report on Dad. No, what’s so weird this time is how focused she is on the screen, shushing them every time they try to talk. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Danny sighs – he clearly thinks Mom is being her usual neurotic self. Evie’s not sure what to think, not sure whether she should be afraid. She’s heard about other pandemics (Ebola, swine flu) and even remembers the SARS epidemic in Toronto when she was younger. Nobody acted like any of them were a big deal then and she was too young to think about it all that much anyway. </em>
</p><p><em>When the report finishes, Amber turns to Mom uneasily, looking for reassurance. </em>We don’t need to worry about it? <em>she asks Mom hopefully.</em> Because we’re in Canada? And it’s in America?</p><p>
  <em>Mom slowly nods, not really seeing Amber. Mom pulls her thumb away from her mouth and Evie sees blood trickling down from where she has bitten it so hard. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The day after, Mom pulls them all out of school. She won’t let them go out of the house anymore and she starts getting their groceries delivered. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Danny’s pissed off and lets Mom know it. “Mom you’re overreacting,” he complains. “They haven’t even reported it in Canada. It’s in San Francisco! And we live in the middle of fucking nowhere!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie can’t help but agree. Their house, located by a country road running along the edge of a woods, was deliberately chosen by Mom for its isolation. The nearest town is an hour away, the nearby gas station forty minutes. Mom liked the feeling of being in their own little bubble, undisturbed by cars and people. </em>
</p><p><em>Dad hated it. He would have preferred if they lived in New York, where he grew up, but Mom was adamant that Canada would be better for a family. He'd </em>definitely <em>tell you </em>all <em>about that if he was here. That argument endured for </em>years<em>, even when they’d already moved and had kids. They would always use their sickly-sweet voices when they did, acting as if they were joking with each other. </em></p><p><em>Dad would usually say something like: </em>Maybe if we lived in New York we wouldn’t have to spend hundreds of dollars just <em>dropping</em> the kids off to <em>school</em>.</p><p><em>And then Mom would say: </em>Well if we lived in New York our <em>children </em>probably would have gotten lung cancer from the fumes by now!</p><p>
  <em>Jeez. Evie wonders how they lasted so long. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Maybe,” Mom says pleasantly to Danny, “but it’s good to take precautions. The least that can happen is you miss out on a few days of school and seeing your friends.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Dad wouldn’t do this,” Danny mutters and they all know it’s a low blow. Mom winces and Evie fights the urge to slap Danny on the back of his head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No,” Mom says quietly, “but your father isn’t here.” They both leave it at that, but Evie can tell Danny feels bad about it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For the rest of the week they try to fight the boredom. Evie and Amber play all the games they can think of:  UNO, hide and seek, dolls. Danny keeps to himself mostly, playing computer games in his room.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom tries to prevent them from seeing the news, but she can’t stop them completely. Every time Mom locks them out of the front room in the morning to check for daily updates on the virus, Evie and Amber quietly pad up to Danny’s room to watch the world fall apart from his laptop, knowing Mom won’t be able to catch them out for at least an hour. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Less than a week after the Rise, the US is falling apart. 250,000 people dead and San Francisco is in chaos. Shaky camera footage uploaded online shows people looting stores, setting buildings ablaze and fighting to the death for bottles of water. The Muir Woods, the woods the apes went into, are on fire. The city is on fire. Fires everywhere. </em>
</p><p><em>There are no warnings for violence on the news anymore – violence and terror is all they report on. They cover Amber’s eyes for the </em>really<em> violent stuff.</em></p><p>
  <em>People on the news talk about the horrific symptoms, the bloody nose, coughs, eyes, ears. They say that people should stay at home. They say that anyone showing symptoms should be isolated from other people. They say that escaped apes and the virus are connected, and they start calling it the ‘Simian Flu’. They say the virus has spread into other countries now, even Canada. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“This really is some 28 Days Later shit,” Danny whispers. “The end actually is fucking nigh!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie would usually punch Danny in his side for joking about stuff like that, but she can hear the fear in his voice. She holds his hand in hers and for once he doesn’t pull away. Wow, it really is the end of the world.</em>
</p><hr/><p>It had been three days and the human wasn’t dying fast enough for Koba.</p><p>Ever since the human had been tucked away in the Shelter, Koba couldn’t rest. Every time he would lay back and try to sleep, he would feel a cold prickling on his scars and his body would pulse with hot rage. It didn’t matter that the human was nowhere near his hut or that he couldn’t physically see it. It had violated his <em>home</em>, a home where apes were meant to be free, free from the evil of humans. And now it was here, Koba couldn’t sleep, not even for a moment.</p><p>Koba had accepted it at the start. Despite his misgivings about taking the human in, Caesar had reassured him. Koba had been afraid that Caesar would be swayed by his love for humans  - more so by Maurice being the soft-hearted, trusting orang that he was. But Caesar had not failed them. When he explained the certainty of the human’s demise to Koba, he realised that Caesar still had ape’s best interests at heart. Of course he did: he was the one that freed them after all. Koba had been a fool to doubt him.</p><p>Nevertheless, when Koba eventually recovered from the shock of seeing the human, he could admit that Caesar’s plan made sense. If they had killed the human outright, the lab apes would have been angry and attacked them. So, by allowing the sickness to do its work, they would not be blamed for the human’s death and the lab apes could be welcomed into their new home. Their <em>true</em> home.</p><p>Koba regretted his initial reaction to the lab apes. If the human hadn’t been there, he would have instantly embraced them as one of his own, as they were. While apes from labs weren’t necessarily rare in the Colony, they were a fraction compared to apes from zoos or sanctuaries. His old friend Pope had been a lab ape too, but he was not like Koba. He had been corrupted by humans, twisted into their image. But he would never plague the Colony again – Koba had made sure of that.</p><p>Seeing the lab apes, their disfigured bodies, and miserable, frightened eyes, Koba had wanted to reach out to them, to tell them that they were safe now. But then he’d seen the human all wrapped up <em>nice</em> <em>and</em> <em>warm </em>being <em>carried</em> by an ape and that old, familiar fury returned to him. It had only gotten worse when the lab apes defended the human, begging for its life. <em>Begging! </em>Those apes would beg for a <em>human’s</em> life when their own lives meant nothing to it!</p><p>The hatred had welled up in him and he’d erupted at them, jeered at them, denounced them as liars when all he wanted to do was to help them <em>see</em>. See that they didn’t need the human, that they had <em>never</em> needed humans.</p><p>But they couldn’t – <em>wouldn’t</em> - see. The chimp with the scarred face, Travis, was exceptionally protective of the human. He’d infuriated Koba to the point that Koba had wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him as if he could shake out the lies the human had filled his head with.</p><p>When they all returned to the village, Koba told himself that once the human was dead, the lab apes would, in time, understand. They might grieve for a while but Koba was sure that they would eventually see the truth – that humans made apes depend upon them, made them weak. Koba himself would help them and teach them how to be free, just as Caesar had taught them all how to be free.</p><p>Yet, this did not happen. The human did not die, and the lab apes did not stop coming to see her. After the human had been placed in the Shelter, Koba believed that the human would be left to die as the lab apes were settled in the Village but that hadn’t come to pass either. Instead, Cornelia had insisted on caring for the human, instructing healers to tend to her. Though Koba refused to degrade himself by asking after the human’s wellbeing, he’d heard Cornelia and Tinker discussing the human’s ability to still eat and drink. This annoyed Koba – the whole point was to let the human die, not prolong its wretched life. It was a waste of good food and water.</p><p>Most of the lab apes continued to visit the human. Excluding the slow, agonising death of the human he’d been promised, it was one of Koba’s biggest disappointments. Koba had hoped that being in the presence of their own kind would encourage the lab apes to let go of the human and embrace their ape brothers and sisters. However, if anything, the lab apes were even more determined to keep apart from the Village apes, preferring to hide in their huts unless they were visiting the human or fetching food and water.</p><p>Out of all the lab apes, Koba noted that Rama and Eshu were the only ones not visiting the human. That could be something useful. Other than that, the rest of the lab apes visited at least once a day, with Travis, Bad Ape and Sugriva constantly by its side.</p><p>The baby orang was still being cared for by the female gorilla, Kali. Although Koba didn’t live near Kali and her family, he’d heard apes that did complaining that the infant refused to rest, squealing and squalling for most of the day. Koba personally didn’t blame the baby girl for its perverse attachment to the human – it was clearly confused, snatched from its real mother by a human who’d duped it into thinking that <em>it</em> was the girl’s mother. He did, however, blame the other adult lab apes. They were grown - they should have known better than to allow the girl to become so closely bonded with a human, to allow it to become so helpless.</p><p>In the meantime, Koba went on more hunting trips, struggling to purge the constant, burning resentment he felt. He didn’t dare stray too far or for too long. It didn’t matter that Grey and Stone had promised him that they would keep an eye on the human. He wanted to be close in case it tried any of its human tricks.</p><p>But Koba couldn’t wait any longer. He was convinced that there had to be something wrong with the human. It was taking too long to die, and he wanted to know why.</p><p>Caesar was sitting with Maurice at their favourite spot overlooking the Village and the mountain when Koba approached him, head bowed obediently. They were almost certainly discussing lessons for the younger apes. <em>Or they could be talking about the human</em>, a voice whispered in Koba’s head. <em>Perhaps it has become more important to them than other apes.</em> Koba shook the ridiculous thought from his mind but he could feel it nonetheless, heavy and dark in his head.</p><p><em>Brother</em>, Caesar greeted him warmly. Maurice rumbled softly in welcome.</p><p><em>My brothers</em>, Koba said, holding out his palm to Caesar. Caesar ran his hand across Koba’s palm in response. It was one of the only touches that Koba would allow – he could scarcely tolerate physical contact from any of the other apes except his nephew Blue Eyes. It wasn’t that Koba didn’t want to be touched. He just couldn’t understand how to stop the icy tingling of his scars, the memory of the cold metal slice of the humans’ blade from exploding all over his skin at the slightest touch. With Caesar and Blue Eyes it was different. Their touch made him light and warm, as his mother’s had. Like a family’s should be.</p><p><em>I wanted to talk to you about the apes from the lab,</em> Koba said, eyes lowered. <em>I know that you said to leave them in peace while the human is sick. But it has been days now and I worry about them.</em></p><p><em>Why do you worry about them Koba?</em> Caesar asked, his brows furrowed.</p><p>
  <em>I worry that we do not know everything we should know about them. I worry that apes may know something about the human that we need to know. I think we should ask the three apes in the Shelter more about the lab and the human. They are the closest to the human. They must know the most about it - her. </em>
</p><p>Maurice frowned. <em>They will not leave Eve. We have tried, but they refused. They </em><em>don’t want to leave her when she is so vulnerable. And it might distress them if we ask about what happened to them. They have been through much.</em></p><p><em>That might be</em>, Koba contended, <em>but it is important to apes that we know of any dangers to the Village. What if the human is sick with a different disease, one dangerous to apes? What if</em><em> other humans are trying to find the apes and the human?</em></p><p>Caesar gazed at Koba thoughtfully. Koba could tell Caesar was contemplating what he had said. Caesar exhaled.</p><p><em>You are right</em>, Caesar said. <em>While it may upset the apes, we should know more about them and the girl to ensure that the Village is safe. I will invite Travis, Bad Ape and Sugriva to discuss this at my home. Hopefully, that will put them more at ease and they will be able to tell us more. </em></p><p><em>Perhaps Cornelia and I should be there as well</em>, Maurice suggested. <em>They trust us the most out of all apes</em>. His quick glance at Koba implied that he was definitely <em>not</em>.</p><p>Caesar nodded. <em>Yes. That would be for the best.</em></p><p>Though Koba managed to keep the smile off his face, inside he was jubilant. Now he could do what he really planned for.</p><p>The three apes took a lot of convincing – by Koba’s judgment, Caesar, Maurice, and Cornelia had taken half an hour just coaxing the apes out of the Shelter. From a distance, Koba watched the three apes being led to the royal family’s home. None of them looked happy about it, Travis least of all.</p><p>Waiting a few moments to be sure that they were gone, Koba strode up the Shelter, shouldering through the fur flaps without hesitation.</p><p>The first thing Koba noticed was the smell. The sharp metallic scent of blood clogged in Koba’s throat and he grimaced in disgust. His eyes took a few moments to adjust to the darkness in the room and he could see that extra furs had been hung to shade the room as much as possible. In the furthest corner of the hut, Koba spied the cart piled with the human’s garbage propped up against the wall, the purple strapped sack next to it. Alongside the adjacent wall, a large, dark shape was stretched out at the side and Koba knew he’d found the human.</p><p>Keeping his eye on the human, Koba warily edged towards the cart, taking care to keep as far away from the human as he possibly could. As he moved closer, Koba could hear the wet rattle of the human’s breath. It repulsed him and he dashed to the cart. This is what he was here for. He wanted to see what they had brought with them. He wasn’t sure what he expected to find; he only knew that he needed to ensure there wasn’t anything dangerous.</p><p>Carefully peeling back the tarp cover on the cart, Koba began rifling through it. A lot of it seemed like useless rubbish to Koba: toys, books wrapped in crumbling plastic bags. But some of the objects were very interesting to Koba. Lifting a silver box out of the cart, Koba opened it up to uncover several plastic-capped syringes and glass tubes of liquid. He instinctively recoiled, a hiss bubbling out his throat. Did the human intend to poison the apes, just as they had poisoned him in the labs?!</p><p>He was about to run out and raise the alarm when he heard the human mutter something. Startled, Koba spun round to see the human laid out on its side, directly facing him. For a second, Koba thought it had been watching him, but he relaxed slightly when he saw that it’s swollen, purple eyelids were tightly shut. The human took a prolonged, shuddering gasp and then mumbled again. Koba crept nearer. Was the human only pretending to be asleep?</p><p>Koba leant in as close as he dared to the human. Now that he was close, he could see the deathly pallor in its emaciated face contrasting with the shadows under it's eyes. Despite the sallowness of its skin, it's face was beaded with sweat, clearly feverish. It’s nose, somewhat crooked, was big, even for a human. The human’s alarmingly slender torso had been covered only by a thin fabric sheet. Underneath, the human wore a tattered green jumper with a cloth scarf around its neck. It's long legs were poking out from the sheet, exposing the frayed ends of its jeans and the thick woollen socks on its feet. The human’s head was bolstered by a neat pile of furs, with another, much bigger pile set beside its head. A bowl was placed nearby, presumably to catch the blood coughed up or dripping out of the human. A wafer-thin layer of dry blood already crusted the bottom of the bowl.</p><p>To his surprise, the human’s hair, a dull, lifeless auburn, was sprouting grey roots. Despite the fact Koba knew that humans developed slower and lived much longer than apes, the human appeared young to Koba – a young adult at most. The silver clip of a crescent moon, missing some of its tiny studded gems, was still threaded in it's hair and Koba, despite himself, wanted to touch it. He liked the shiny little moon. It reminded him of his secret treks up into the mountains to watch the moon and the stars in the sky when the nights were clear. Not that he’d let anyone else know that.</p><p>There was a hushed grunt and the large pile of fur next to the human’s head suddenly twitched. Koba tensed – it was the wolf. He should have known that the wolf would have been left behind – it was probably the only reason the apes had left her alone in the first place. Not that Koba had <em>completely</em> forgotten about it; far from it. He loathed the creature on principle because of the attacks on apes by the scruffy things. Fortunately for him, it was fast asleep – for now.</p><p>The human whispered again and Koba could have sworn that he saw blood bubble between its pallid lips. “Danny … go away…” he thought it said.</p><p>Koba’s anger grew. Was it playing games with him? Was it trying to wake the wolf up so it could attack him? Incensed, he jabbed in its side, hard enough to bruise. It let out a weak yelp and feebly swatted a hand at him. The wolf’s body jolted and huffed. “Fuck off Danny!” it groaned, louder this time.</p><p>The wolf was stirring when the human’s eyes snapped open and it’s head jerked up, looking right at Koba. Some of the blood vessels in its eyes had burst, bleeding into its irises, painting them an alarming crimson. It’s bright, glassy eyes fixated on Koba’s and Koba reflexively shrank back, frightened.</p><p>“You’re not Danny,” it whispered in a breathless croak. It gulped. “No … not <em>you</em>.”</p><p>The human gasped and the wolf padded to her side, somehow sensing what was going to happen before it did. A heartbeat later, the human’s eyes rolled back and it’s body started shaking violently. It’s head quaked so forcefully that Koba could hear its teeth snapping together. The wolf whined and clambered onto the human’s chest, appearing to try and hold the human still.</p><p>Koba was at a loss – he had no idea what to do, let alone knowing what the human was doing. <em>Maybe it is dying</em>, Koba thought. <em>Maybe the wolf knows it too. Let it die.</em></p><p>Koba watched silently as the human trembled and seized, the wolf whimpering and burrowing its head into the human’s chest. <em>It’s over. It’s finally over -</em></p><p>An ear-piercing screech sounded from behind him. Clamping his hands to his ears, Koba whirled round on the excruciating shriek. Standing in the door of the Shelter was Banshee, his head thrown back in an unearthly howl. <em>Ah</em>. Koba <em>had</em> forgotten about <em>him</em>. Of course it was watching them. Snarling in pain and frustration, Koba had to fight the urge to slam the freakish thing against a wall for thwarting his plan to let the human die.</p><p>Footsteps hurried towards them. Koba’s opportunity was gone. He stood aside as Tinker, Cornelia and the healers rushed in, swiftly followed by Caesar, Maurice, Travis, Bad Ape and Sugriva. Cornelia and the healers encircled the human, hemming Koba and the others into the opposite side of the hut, by the cart.</p><p>Travis rounded on Koba as soon as he saw him, trembling with rage. “<em>You</em>!” Travis roared at Koba accusingly. “What – did you – do?! You do – something - to her!”</p><p>“I do – nothing!” Koba shouted. “She – do that – to herself!”</p><p>“If you - hurt her -“</p><p>“<em>Enough</em>!” Caesar bellowed. Both scarred males stepped back and calmed themselves with difficulty, glowering at each other with pure hate.</p><p>“Koba – why you here? What – happened?” Caesar demanded in a distrustful tone.</p><p>That hurt Koba. Caesar had immediately thought that Koba had gone against his order not to harm the human.</p><p>“I … check. I check … to look in human’s … things. Look for danger! I never - touch her!” Koba said shamefacedly. Remembering the needles, Koba scampered over to the cart, yanking out the metal box and presenting it to Caesar. “Koba find … needles – like needles in lab. Could harm apes! Poison them!”</p><p>The gorilla, Sugriva, stared Koba down, his face full of venom. “Medicine. Anti…biotics. For sickness,” he rasped.</p><p>Koba faltered – he could see Caesar was losing patience and that Maurice was gaping at him with open incredulity. In desperation Koba rammed his hands into the cart, grabbing anything that his hands could get a hold of, tossing out anything worthless.</p><p>Caesar was moving to stop him when he felt the cool chill of steel underneath his palms. Gradually, he gripped the lengthy, smooth instrument and lifted it up high above his head, ensuring everyone could see. He didn’t even need to look to know what he was holding.</p><p>“This … true … danger.”</p><p>Sugriva and Travis’ eyes went large with alarm. Bad Ape breathed a quiet “Oh no!” and Banshee scowled with his curiously empty, black gaze.</p><p>Held aloft in Koba’s hand was a gun. A <em>soldier’s</em> gun.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Later, Cornelia was sat beside Eve, holding the girl’s hand. They were alone in the Shelter – Travis, Bad Ape, Sugriva, and Luna had been taken away, deemed too untrustworthy to be left alone. Banshee had scuppered away before anyone could stop him, but Cornelia was sure he was in the trees somewhere, observing from afar.</p><p>Cornelia and the healers had strived to stabilise Eve but there was nothing they could do except wait until the tremors stopped. They knew better than to hold her down, but it had pained Cornelia to watch Eve suffer. At one point, Eve’s torso had bent back at a hideously unnatural angle, making Cornelia fear that the girl’s spine would break under the pressure. After some time, the girl’s seizure had ceased, and Eve finally lay still. Too still.</p><p>As the day bled into the evening, Eve hadn’t moved. She didn’t speak and would not respond when they tried to get her to eat and drink. Her breathing usually laboured and heavy was slow and deep. Cornelia couldn’t remember what the humans had called it, but she thought that Eve had ultimately entered the sleep of the living dead. The sleep from which she would never wake.</p><p>Cornelia sent away Tinker and the others. There was nothing more they could do but Cornelia stayed. She didn’t want Eve to be alone.</p><p>Stroking Eve’s hand, Cornelia felt the girl’s skin cooling down from its fever. It saddened Cornelia that the lab apes couldn’t be here with her. It was not right that a stranger, not her friends, was with her as she passed.</p><p>A thought occurred to Cornelia. Lightly taking her hand out of Eve’s, she slipped out of the Shelter, ordering the gorilla guard stationed outside to watch over her. She strode on, not stopping. Soon, she was there – Kali’s hut. A gorilla guard was stationed outside her hut too; all the lab apes had now. Since the weapons cache had been discovered in the cart, Caesar had decided to have the lab apes watched for the Village’s safety. Just in case. Prisoners in all but name.</p><p>Waving for the gorilla guard to stand aside, Cornelia entered the hut. Kali was sitting in her nest with Jambo, Bear and the baby orang. The infant was droopily laid across Kali’s knees, tired out from its crying. Whereas Jambo glared at Cornelia, Kali smiled at her sadly.</p><p>“It … time?” Kali asked mournfully.</p><p>“Almost,” Cornelia said. She looked meaningfully at the baby orang. “They need … each other … now.”</p><p>Cornelia held out her arms and Kali gently passed the baby to her. Thanking Kali, Cornelia carried the baby back to the Shelter. Eve hadn’t moved in the time that Cornelia was gone, still laying flat on her back. Tenderly, Cornelia laid the baby on Eve’s chest. The baby girl stretched her limbs out, her face nuzzling into Eve’s chest. Then, for the first time since she had been parted from Eve, the baby relaxed, curling it’s fingers into Eve’s jumper and setting its head right above Eve’s heartbeat.</p><p>Swallowing tears, Cornelia backed away and took one last look at the two. She felt a bittersweet tug at her heart, and she had a painful longing for Caesar and Blue Eyes. Slowly, slowly, she walked away.</p><p>She didn’t see Eve’s arm slide round the baby, tucking the girl into the blanket.  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So we're finally here! Eve is coming out of her illness only to find out that everyone's in big, big trouble and that she's got a lot of explaining to do.<br/>Thanks everyone for the love and feedback for the story so far - it definitely encourages me to continue posting more chapters :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Survival Of The Stubborn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just letting everyone that I will be changing the rating of this to mature. Don't think I can get away with a teen rating when my story includes swearing and other nasty stuff lol.<br/>Sorry for taking so long with this chapter, suddenly had things to do again since lockdown is winding down.<br/>Also, not sure if this counts as a super long chapter or not but please let me know if the length is okay or a bit too much.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>2016</strong>
</p><p>
  <em>They can’t live in denial any more. They’ve been lying to themselves for days. The cupboards are bare, the freezer empty. The food on their plates is getting less and less by the day and soon Mom isn’t eating at all, giving every last scrap of it to them. They flinch every time Mom’s stomach rumbles though they all pretend not to hear it. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>They were doing okay for the past month – Mom’s delivery and stockpiling of food worked well for them and they didn’t have to go out to fight over whatever food was left like everyone else. But it couldn’t last forever. Soon, stores stop delivering to homes and the government orders food deliveries to be prioritised for the infected isolated in their homes. </em>
</p><p><em>The Flu has officially gone global and there is no good news anymore. Even if the Flu hadn’t reached Canada by now, the fear already had. As soon as its public knowledge that the Flu escaped from a lab testing on apes, the slaughter begins. People swarm zoos, killing any vaguely ape-like creature they can find. </em> <em>One day, Danny and Evie find a video taken in the zoo Mama and Big Poppa were in. They don’t see Mama, Poppa or their baby (thank God) but what they do see is the ape zookeeper being beaten to death by a hysterical mob for trying to protect the apes. Evie knows him – he was the nice keeper that told them all about Mama. She doesn’t want to watch him die but she feels like she owes it to him not look away. To remember how brave he was. </em></p><p>
  <em>They don't tell Amber about this.</em>
</p><p>Maybe it’s a good thing that Mama’s dead<em>, Evie thinks. </em>They would have killed her anyway.</p><p>
  <em>The weeks melt into each other. All they do is sleep and eat, the food dwindling away. Listen to Mom crying herself to sleep at night. They have water, they have power. But it’s not enough. They need food. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>That morning, Mom calls them all over and lays down the ultimatum. Tomorrow they will have no food. So, she will go out to the gas station and get more supplies. They will lock themselves in the basement. Danny will be armed with Dad’s gun and they are not to answer to anyone but her. If she is not back in a day, they are to call the police for help. If they don’t get through, they will walk to Aunt Tabitha’s house, cutting through the woods so they are not seen. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The whole idea of it terrifies Evie. She doesn’t want Mom to go and she doesn’t want to think about what they’ll do if Mom doesn’t come back. “No,” she says as Mom is going over the map, drawing out the directions to Aunt Tabitha’s. “Mom, we have to come with you. We can’t be left alone here.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom’s face hardens with frustration but softens when she sees the fear in Evie’s eyes. “I know it’s hard sweetheart,” she says tenderly, “but we need food. And I can’t risk you going out there. You might catch the virus and there will be dangerous people out there.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“There might be dangerous people here!” Danny blurts out. “There’s been lots of people robbing houses, taking all their stuff. And there's these terrorists out there, the Alpha..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Alpha Omega,” Mom corrects. “As sad as it is, they only target the infected honey.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That doesn’t mean anything! Whoever they are, there’s people that might try to get in and hurt us if they think we have food or whatever. Besides, you need us to back you up.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s true Mom,” Evie says. “People might try and break in while you’re gone. If we come with you, we can look out for you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“And we can get more food,” Danny adds. </em>
</p><p><em>Mom sighs, rubbing her knuckles against her temples. She looks at Amber. </em>And what about you sweetie? <em>She signs.</em></p><p><em>Amber’s eyes are red and she shakes with fear. </em>I want to stay with you Mommy<em>, she says, her hands shaking. </em>I don’t want to be left alone here either.</p><p>
  <em>Thirty minutes later, Evie is sitting at the back of Mom’s truck with Amber, Danny and Mom in the front. Evie runs through everything Mom drummed into them:  stick together. Wear face masks at all times. Keep away from anyone else. Run if you have to. Don’t touch anything you don’t have to – if you do, sanitise your hands as soon as possible. Do <strong>NOT</strong> touch your face. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dad’s handgun rests on Danny’s lap. Apparently, Dad never used to like guns just like Mom and thought they had no place in a family home. But after coming back from Iraq, Dad changed his mind. Evie doesn’t remember this but Danny does. Danny said that Dad got weird after the war, super paranoid. He insisted that they get a gun for their safety and ragged at Mom about it until she finally caved. She was definite on one point though -  that they only got a small handgun and that it be kept in a locked safe where Evie, Danny and Amber couldn’t get at it. Evie guesses that Dad’s paranoia for all these years has now finally paid off. She wonders if he would have been smug about it or whether he’d secretly hoped it would never be right. She misses him then, really misses him. Whatever she’s thought of him before, she always felt safe with him. She doesn’t feel safe now. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom pulls into the gas station. There are a few cars dotted around the lot but she doesn’t see anyone in or around them. Evie was expecting a crush of people, shoving and jostling each other as they ran out with armfuls of groceries. Something feels wrong, really wrong and it makes Evie nervous. Amber reaches for Evie’s hand and she takes it, cold and clammy. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Mom,” Evie whispers but Mom shushes her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>As Danny looks out for strangers, Mom checks the gas pumps for fuel. She gets a fair spatter of fuel from several of the pumps, way more than any of them expected. Evie looks out towards the gas station window, wondering if the nice gas station guy is in there as usual. The lights are still on so Evie can see inside. The store looks empty – even the register Gas Station Guy sits at is empty. As she rubs her eyes, a dark shadow flickers past one of the windows. Her throat closes up with fear and she can’t speak. She tells herself she’s just scaring herself, that it was nothing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom parks the truck at the front of the station, right by the windows so she can see it from inside. Pausing to check if anyone is around, Mom takes the gun from Danny and nods at them and they all get out of the car, closing the doors as quietly as they can. Evie and Amber lock hands and hurry after Mom and Danny, keeping as close as they can. They make sure to close the door behind them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The store is quiet, a bland, basic soundtrack twinkling softly in the background. Gas Station Guy is still not there. From what she can see, the shelves in the aisles are still fairly full, not as empty as the ones she’s seen on the news. There’s a strong smell of chemicals and the floor is sticky on Eve’s boots. She guesses Gas Station Guy must clean the store more now that the Flu is around. Or so she tells herself.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She supposes she should be happy that they will not starve but all this strikes her as wrong. Wrong, wrong, <strong>WRONG</strong>. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom's too excited by the food to care though. She snatches up a shopping basket, telling Danny to stay by the doors and keep an eye on the truck. She swipes her arms over the shelves, spilling cans of food into the baskets. She packs the basket until it is overflowing with pasta, rice, cans, any food that doesn’t go bad quick. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie stands by Mom, fidgeting nervously. Amber's hand slips from Evie's but she's too distracted by a faint whistling sound and doesn't register Amber moving away from her, deeper into the store. The sound is just audible enough to be heard and it annoys Evie. Cocking her head, she traces the sound to the store doors where Danny is standing. Danny frowns at her - he can hear it too. Evie steps closer and the noise is louder, almost like a hiss.  As she gets up to the doors, she feels a trickle of cold air brushing her face. Then she finds the source. Right in front of her. A perfectly formed bullet hole punched into the glass of the door, the wind wheezing through it.</em>
</p><p><em>Evie whips round. Mom is still packing and she can see Amber browsing the shelves further in the store. The man stands with his back to Evie, right behind Amber. His clothes are splattered with wet patches.</em> <em> He creeps towards her and Evie screams. Mom might be able to hear her but she knows Amber won't so she slams her fists on to the metal shelf, hoping Amber will feel the vibrations. Amber's head shoots up in alarm and she finally sees the man. She opens her mouth in a silent scream and scurries over to Mom. The man turns his head, following her, and Evie can see his face. It's Gas Station Guy.</em></p><p><em>Gas Station Guy staggers towards them, casually swinging a long metal baseball in his hand. He's wearing a face mask, like them, except it is a bright red colour and tightly plastered onto to his face. He mumbles something, his words slurring through the mask. </em> <em>Dad used to sound and act like that when he got drunk. Mom would try and hide away Dad when he got like that but Evie and Danny found it hilarious. Evie remembers that rime when Dad, drunk as a skunk (as he liked to say) fell asleep in the front room and they snuck in and painted his face with Mom’s makeup. Amber even helped with the lipstick, though she usually wasn't mean enough for pranks. Mom and Dad both thought it was funny, though he soon changed his mind when he sobered up. Evie hopes Gas Station Guy is just drunk as well. </em></p><p>
  <em>But then she looks at his eyes. His eyes are canine and bloodshot, almost like an animal’s. He doesn’t look so nice anymore. It’s then she realises his mask is not red - it’s wet, with blood. And he’s not holding a baseball bat - he’s holding a sawn-off shotgun.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gas Station Guy’s shoes squeak against the floor and he laughs as Mom and Amber jump back from him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom takes a shaky breath. “Rick…” she says, voice quivering.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Gillian,” he says, mimicking her overly polite tone.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I didn’t realise you were here. Look, I’m sorry, I’ll pay for everything and leave you be.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gas Station Guy tries to laugh again but it sounds like a grunt. “Lying bitch,” he spits. “This is my store, I … I told those sons of bitches that this … is my store. MINE! Fucking … tryna ... trying to steal from me!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m not!” Mom pleads. “I’ll pay you, I will, I’ll put money on the counter, just please stay away from us! You’re not well Rick!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Liar. Teaching your kids … to steal. I’ll kill you too … just like … the rest of them! You don’t think I will you … you thieving bitch! I’ll kill you all!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He lunges at Amber, hands curled up into snatching claws. Mom, not having time to pull out the gun, rushes at him and they slam into each other, the shotgun pinned between them. Gas Station Guy is screaming, almost howling, and Mom is shouting back at him, begging him to get away. His nails scrape across Mom’s face, dragging her mask down to her neck. Gas Station Guy coughs, spewing a fine mist of blood onto Mom’s face. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie goes cold. She looks desperately towards Danny for help, but he’s rooted to the spot, crying. Gathering up all her fear and anger, she takes a deep breath and makes her herself move forward. “Get off her!” she shrieks. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gas Station Guy head snaps towards Evie and she stops dead. He growls at her. “Come on, little girl,” he grunts thickly. “I’ll show you…” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“<strong>NO</strong>!” Mom screeches and she shunts Gas Station Guy back, hard. He yelps and falls, his legs folding underneath him. His head connects with the shelf with a crunch and slumps onto his chest at an unnatural angle. His body slides down onto the floor with a squeal. He’s not howling anymore. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie’s ears are ringing. She wants to be sick, but she hears Amber crying and she stumbles towards her, wrapping her arms tightly around her. Amber buries her head into Evie’s shoulder, sobbing. Danny, still standing by the door, takes a few shaky steps towards Mom. He’s pissed himself.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom falls to her knees, panting. She stares blankly as blood streams out of Gas Station Guy’s head. Her back starts heaving, and Evie realises she is crying. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Slowly, all three of them encircle Mom. Up close, they can see Gas Station Guy’s blood flecked all over Mom’s face, tears gushing bloody streaks down her cheeks. She tries to wave them away, babbling about infection risk, telling them to leave her and go to their Aunt’s house. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>They don’t listen. Instead, they all kneel down and hug her. It's all they could do.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Eve didn’t know whether she was dead or alive – all she knew was that she was on fire. Every cell inside her was burning. Her blood was hot and acidic, roiling in her veins as if it was desperate to burst out of her. Her head was the worst; it felt like every synapse in her brain was being gnawed away by the fire. Her mind was foggy, any thought slipping away from her every time she tried to pin it down. The burning was the only constant. Sometimes she could hear things around her – gruff voices yelling at each other, the whinny of horses. Other times, she was dragged back into the hot, silent dark. The pain would always keep her company though.</p><p>Memories throbbed sluggishly through the dark. Some she remembered but most floated past, fading into the black. She remembered Gas Station Guy. It had been a long time since she’d thought about him. She tended to avoid memories like that. She could never decide whether he had been driven mad by the Flu in its final stages like some of the rumours claimed or whether he was another psycho hoarding his food. Eve would have liked to think that Gas Station Guy was not himself when he tried to kill them but she knew better now. You could excuse people acting crazy due to the circumstances (the apocalypse) but the truth was that people probably acted more like their true selves than they ever had before. To summarise: when push comes to shove most people are just plain assholes.</p><p>More darkness and pain. Then something changed. She felt hard, painful pokes into her ribs and it registered as a different pain, more defined, pushing her up from the dark. Something told her it was Danny – it had to be Danny waking her up, who else was it, of course, this was all just some weird nightmare – and she sat up so she had better vantage to push Danny off her bed.</p><p>But it wasn’t Danny. It looked like <strong>him</strong><em>,</em> it was <strong>him</strong>, but it couldn’t be <strong>him</strong>… This time Eve didn’t drift into the dark – she was falling, plunging into oblivion. But Eve wasn’t scared. It was about damn time.</p><p>When she woke up, the fire had faded, taking the dark with it. Her body was heavy and stiff, holding her down to the ground. Slowly, she became aware of her limbs again, sprawled out on the ground. Experimentally, Eve tried moving her arm, which eventually and painfully responded. As she stretched out her limbs, Eve noticed a light, warm weight on her chest. Reaching out to touch the warmth, Eve felt a soft head of hair run along her palm. She smiled and relaxed – Amber. She probably came in during the night, scared by a thunderstorm. It was all okay. It <em>had</em> been a nightmare.</p><p>Eve wrapped her arms tighter around Amber and Amber settled into her embrace. Stroking Amber’s head, Eve started as she felt the coarseness of the hair curled in her fingers.</p><p>
  <em>Amber? <strong>No</strong>. Amber, <strong>no</strong>…</em>
</p><p>Struggling to open her eyes through sleep, Eve lifted herself up, her arms barely managing to keep her upright. Steadying herself, Eve rubbed her eyes, her arms trembling with the effort to lift them up. Blinking a few times to clear her eyes, Eve squinted into the gloom, the only light being the thin rays blazing out of gaps of the wooden walls. Wincing, Eve looked around, trying to place her surroundings. She guessed that she was in a hut owning to the twined walls of branches and bark. A bowl had been placed by her side and a plumped up pile of furs had acted as her makeshift pillow. There was no one else with her as far as she could tell. The blanket that had now pooled down at her hips twitched and a snowy white head poked out from beneath.</p><p>“Baby…” Eve croaked, cringing at the dry, scorched ache in her throat. The baby cooed happily in response, climbing up into Eve’s neck, snuggling her face into it. “Couldn’t … get rid … of me … huh?”</p><p>Tears welled up in Eve’s throat. The baby was here. She was alive. Eve was alive. Which only meant one thing… “We made it. We actually… made it!” In spite of the pain, Eve grinned with joy. The baby squeaked happily at her, her beautiful blue eyes staring at Eve adoringly.  </p><p>Yet Eve stopped short. If they had all made it and they are all here, where are the others? Where was Travis, Sugriva or Bad Ape? Where was Luna? Luna being missing was understandable (she could be out hunting some poor furry creature) but Bad Ape <em>never</em> her left alone. He was as clingy as they came.</p><p>“Let’s go … find everyone … shall we?” Eve whispered hoarsely. Hugging the girl to her chest, Eve stood up. Rather, Eve attempted to stand up and immediately fell back on her ass, her legs wobbling and collapsing underneath her. Eve’s head spun and she was panting just from the effort of getting up. The baby let out a questioning squeak and Eve forced a smile for her. “It’s … okay. We’ll do that … in a minute.”</p><p>Careful not to jog the baby, Eve fell onto her back, closing her eyes and letting the dizziness wash over her. Her legs fizzed with pins and needles. As the baby chattered away to her, Eve tried to work the stiffness out of her limbs, stretching her arms and legs. It was a different ache to the one Eve had become accustomed to but it hurt nonetheless. Bit by bit, her frail and numb muscles started prickling to life and Eve moaned.  She had never felt so weak.</p><p>Suddenly, there was a quiet flapping sound and a brief gust of air into the hut. Someone had come in. Eve stiffened, arms sliding protectively around the baby. She closed her eyes and tried to keep her breathing at a steady rhythm, feigning sleep.</p><p>Quietly, the person padded towards them, stopping just in front of them. Even through closed eyelids, Eve could feel the figure looking down at them. Cracking her eyes open a fraction, Eve saw that it was a female chimpanzee, not someone she knew. The woman was wearing a kind of covering over her nose and mouth, something that looked like rows of bone knotted with rope. A nurse maybe?</p><p>The woman hooted quietly and reached down for the bowl. Deciding it was the time to reveal her newfound consciousness, Eve opened her eyes. “Excuse me –"</p><p>The woman screeched and stumbled back as if she had been burnt. Eve jumped herself, emitting an embarrassing yelp. The bowl clattered down onto the floor and the two stared at each other.</p><p>“I –" Eve tried but the woman scrambled away, calling out for help outside.</p><p>Well, that wasn’t the introduction Eve was hoping for.</p><p> </p><p>In a matter of seconds, Eve and the baby were surrounded by a crowd of masked apes. The apes (all females and mostly chimpanzees) were frantically calling out and signing to each other. It was hard to tell what they were saying exactly but Eve got the gist. All of them were completely amazed that she was alive. <em>That makes both of us, </em>Eve thought wryly. Whether they were happy or annoyed by this Eve couldn’t really tell. In the meantime, Eve played dumb, acting as if she couldn’t understand what they were saying.</p><p>Two of unmasked chimpanzee women, in particular, stood out to Eve. One of the women wore a simple tiara twined with rope and flowers with a necklace decorated with hoops of bone around her neck. She had her back turned to Eve and was signing to the other woman, occasionally peering at Eve over her shoulder. The other woman was wearing a flower crown too. This woman stared at Eve as if she couldn’t believe she was actually there. She had a regal beauty to her that made Eve think that she must be the queen or at least a leader of these apes. She had very kindly, maternal eyes and Eve instantly felt comfortable with her.</p><p>The woman with the necklace eventually approached, holding out a steaming bowl of broth. Eve eagerly grabbed ahold it, managing a rusty “thank you”. The woman pulled back and gawped at Eve in shock at that before hurrying back to the other woman. Eve supposed that the woman was not used to a human speaking to her like that way, let alone thanking her. Then the smell of the broth hit her and the gnawing in her stomach finally hit her. Ravenous, Eve slurped and gulped the bowl, licking up every last drop without shame.</p><p>When she'd finished, the woman with the kind eyes came over, taking the bowl from Eve and setting it aside. “How … do … you … feel?” she asked. Each word sounded like a struggle and Eve was touched that the woman was making such an effort.</p><p><em>I am okay, </em>Eve signed. <em>Just feel a little weak. </em>That was an understatement but Eve wasn't one to admit when she was weak. Even if it was obvious.</p><p>The woman’s eyes widened. <em>You can sign? </em>she questioned.</p><p>Eve nodded listlessly. <em>My sister was deaf. </em></p><p>The woman flinched at the use of past tense. <em>I'm sure you have been through much. But I promise you that you and your friends are safe now. </em></p><p><em>Where are they? </em>Eve demanded, the movements more aggressive than intended. <em>I want to see them. Where is Kali? The baby's hungry, she needs feeding. </em></p><p>The woman hesitated. <em>There is no need to worry. We have given them all places to stay. But we found some … things in your possession that might have been a danger to us. So we have kept them in their houses for now. I hope you understand.</em></p><p><em>Things? </em>Eve sighed. <em>He brought the guns here, didn’t he? </em></p><p>
  <em>He?</em>
</p><p><em>Travis. I knew the idiot wouldn't get rid of them. </em>Eve paused. <em>I told him to get rid of the guns before we got here. I thought it would give the wrong idea about us and I didn't want us to be seen as a threat. I guess he must have kept them anyway. I'm sorry. </em></p><p>
  <em>Why did you have those guns? Where did you get them?</em>
</p><p>Eve was silent for a moment. <em>Our guards had them in the lab. We had to use them … on our way out. </em>Eve avoided the woman’s gaze. <em>I'm guessing you already know about that.</em></p><p><em>Yes, </em>the woman said, <em>and I am sorry. I can't imagine what you and your friends experienced. </em>Eve ducked her head in thanks and the woman paused, thinking. <em>My husband has a lot of questions about you and where you all came from. Perhaps if you talked to him, all this misunderstanding would be resolved and you could see your friends? But only if you feel strong enough.</em></p><p>Eve nodded and pushed herself up, crossing her legs with difficulty. <em>Yes. I would like that. They don't deserve to be in trouble because of me. </em>She paused. <em>Who is your husband?</em></p><p><em>My husband is Caesar. He is our leader.  </em>The woman stood up. <em>I could take the baby to Kali now if you would like? </em>Seeing Eve’s reluctance, the woman smiled reassuringly at Eve. <em>Your child is safe with me. I promise.</em></p><p>Hesitating for a few seconds, Eve passed the baby to the woman and she cradled the little girl in her arms. As the woman went to go, Eve called out to her. “What’s your name? I never asked.”</p><p>The woman looked back at Eve. “Cornelia,” she said.</p><p>“Thank you, Cornelia.”</p><p>Cornelia smiled and bowed her head in thanks. “I will … get Caesar now.”</p><p> </p><p>Caesar, as it turned out, was more like the King of the apes here though they didn’t really call him that. As soon as he entered the hut, she knew exactly who he was. Everything about him reeked of dominance from his posture to his unwavering stare. <em>He</em> was the one she had to impress. Though Eve couldn’t help but feel intimidated by him, she could see compassion and empathy in his eyes. So, while he did have his suspicions about her, he didn’t hate and despise her as most apes would. That was a good start. He was quite courteous all things considered – he spoke to her gently, asking her if she was well enough to answer some questions they had. Eve said she was happy to answer any and all questions they had for her and that she understood why he might be suspicious of her intentions. Which was true – she wouldn’t have trusted a ragtag troop of apes (with a human to boot) armed to the teeth either. Besides, they had clearly nursed her back to health as opposed to just killing her. That in itself was a lot better than anything she could have hoped for.</p><p>When Caesar said ‘we’ had some questions, what he really meant his entire council. Soon, all kinds of apes were filing into the hut. Caesar introduced them all to her: Rocket, Maurice, Luca, Grey, Stone, Percy and Cornelia, who had come back after taking the baby to Kali. Most of the council members either looked shocked, horrified, annoyed, or all of them, that she was still alive. The only one that seemed pleasantly surprised to see her was the orangutan Maurice who even went to the trouble of introducing himself to her. <em>At least somebody’s happy I’m alive, </em>she thought sardonically. She liked him.</p><p>The last council member was the one that actually scared Eve. Bursting into the hut came an extremely irritated-looking, disfigured bonobo. Eve knew a lab ape when she saw one – scars were littered all about his body, the most distinctive a thick slash wound slicing through his left eye. Eve couldn’t help but shudder; the scarring on him was worse than a lot of apes that she'd seen at the lab. Not as bad as <strong>him </strong>though – nothing got as bad as <em>that</em>. Then she realised – she recognised this ape. She'd seen this one before, in the dark.</p><p>As soon as he met her gaze, the bonobo physically recoiled, growling deep in his throat. “Koba – knew it!” he snarled, his face curled up in rage and triumph. “Human – lied! Not – dying –"</p><p>“Koba enough!” Caesar bellowed. Caesar’s shout was powerful and Koba appeared to shrink in his skin. Eve bowed her head too, feeling compelled to submit even though she wasn’t the one being yelled at. <em>Yep, </em>she thought, <em>that’s definitely a leader. </em></p><p><em>Sit, </em>Caesar said cooly.<em> We will ask our questions and allow the human </em>– a polite cough from Cornelia – Eve<em> to explain herself. She can tell us more about what is happening in the outside world. </em></p><p>Looking like he’d rather sink his fangs into her face, Koba sat sulkily with the other council members in a equally distributed semicircle around Eve.</p><p>Eve straightened up her spine. She’d lived with apes long enough to know that you could not show weakness. If you wanted to be respected (or at least left alone) you had to be strong. Maintain eye contact. Don’t hunch. Open body language. She was ready.</p><p><em>The other apes you came with said that you helped them, led them here to us. </em>Caesar started.<em> Why were you with them? </em></p><p>Eve frowned in confusion. <em>Did they not tell you? </em>she asked. Some of the apes gasped; Cornelia and Caesar obviously hadn’t told them she could sign.</p><p><em>They did. But I would prefer if </em>you<em> said why. </em></p><p><em>That's fair, </em>Eve agreed. <em>I know it must be hard to trust me. But I just want my family to be safe. </em></p><p><em>"</em>Family?"  Koba spat in disgust. <em>You are human. Apes are no family to you. </em></p><p>Eve met his glare with one of her own. <em>We are family, </em>she said. <em>More than you could know.</em></p><p>Maurice grumbled in warning to Koba and leaned in, blocking Koba’s piercing eye from Eve. <em>You consider them your family? </em>he asked hesitantly.</p><p>
  <em>Of course! How couldn't I after everything that has happened to us? </em>
</p><p><em>I think you need to explain, </em>Caesar said. <em>Why aren't you with your human family? Where are they?</em></p><p>Eve’s face fell. She'd been expecting this. <em>It's long story but if you want to hear it I’ll tell you everything. </em>At Caesar’s approval, she took a breath.</p><p><em>Before any of this started, my sister, Amber, and I met a gorilla at the zoo called Mama. She knew sign language and she and my sister would talk whenever we visited. </em>Eve cracked a small smile. <em>Mama was everything to my sister. She was her best friend.</em></p><p><em>Years later, Mama had a baby with another gorilla, Jambo. He was called Sugriva. </em>Knowing grunts echoed in the hut and the council members looked at each other deliberately. So they knew Sugriva.</p><p><em>Then something bad happened and we couldn't see them anymore. Soon after that, the pandemic started. My mother kept me, Amber and my brother inside our house to keep us safe. But it didn't last long. We had to get food … </em>Eve broke off and blinked back the sting in her eyes. <em>She got sick with the Flu ... </em>Eve didn’t go on but she could tell the apes understood what must have happened next.</p><p>Maurice rumbled quietly to get her attention. <em>This ‘Flu’ you speak of, </em>Maurice said delicately, <em>is this the same sickness that has been affecting other humans? That affected you? </em></p><p><em>Yes. We call it the Simian Flu. </em>Eve laughed bitterly. <em>Despite the fact that humans made it themselves in a lab. But I guess it was easier just to blame you guys. </em></p><p>Caesar seemed interested in this. <em>Why do they blame apes? We knew that humans associate us with this sickness but we never found out why. </em></p><p>Eve stared at Caesar, puzzled. <em>You … don't know?</em></p><p>Caesar frowned at her and Eve rushed to explain. <em>The Flu … it's the same virus that made apes smart. That made all of you smart. </em></p><p>The revelation startled a lot of the apes. Maurice was looking thoughtful whereas Koba looked like he was grinning. Caesar was hard to read but Eve thought he was disturbed by what she had said. <em>Reports said that the virus was already circulating by the time you all escaped,</em> Eve added quickly. <em> But people blamed apes anyway, which is stupid since it only spreads in humans. Apes can get it but they can't spread it.</em></p><p><em>Is that how Sugriva and the others were Changed? </em>Maurice signed keenly. <em>They weren't Changed in a lab like Koba? </em></p><p>Ah. Evidently Koba had been experimented on in the Gen-Sys lab. That made sense. And it explained why he hated her guts already.</p><p><em>No, </em>Eve explained. <em>Most of them were ‘Changed’ before they came to the lab. Sugriva and Travis the same. </em></p><p><em>So you found Sugriva again? </em>Caesar said abruptly. For whatever reason, he clearly wanted to change the subject and Eve was all too happy to oblige.</p><p><em>After my mother died, we went to my aunt's for help. She took care of us for a while but we had to leave her house to scavenge for food. After … a year, maybe, we were ambushed by a gang of men with guns. My aunt fought them and they shot her. </em>Eve shut her eyes and she could hear the shot echo in her head as clear as day. <em>We didn’t know what they wanted with us at the time but I think they were going to sell us onto the CDC – the people that ran the lab, </em>Eve amended, seeing the apes questioning looks. <em>Turns out they had captured Mama, Jambo and Sugriva too. Amber managed to untie herself and freed them from their cage while the men weren't looking. They saved us. </em></p><p><em>Mama and Jambo took us in. They treated us like family. We had to keep moving all the time – to find food, to avoid other humans. We found Travis along the way and he joined us as well. We went on for three years like that. We found Luna during that time as well, as a puppy. She was alone so we took her with us too. We were doing well. </em>Eve’s lips twitched – it was a bittersweet memory. <em>But then </em>they<em> found us. </em></p><p><em>They said that they were the US Army and that they were ‘rescuing’ us. </em>Eve snorted.<em> Never asked if we wanted to be rescued though. They took us to this village called The Ark where they were relocating other survivors. They took Mama and the others away. They told us that they were going to put them in an ape sanctuary or something but I knew they were lying. I tried to find out what really happened to them but they refused to tell me. </em></p><p>
  <em>My brother and I were getting trained for the army. They saw potential in us and we were already pretty good with guns. We were still technically children but then and again they didn't have a lot of candidates to choose from anymore. Amber helped out with chores in The Ark. I thought it was fair – work for your dinner and all that. But that is what they want you to think. So when you start noticing all this weird shit happening you don't question them - because you owe them. So when the old and disabled started going missing no one suspected anything. Just accepted it, like they expected it to happen. The people at The Ark used to say that they died of natural causes but soon they realised people would believe anything they said – that they got kidnapped by raiders, eaten by a bear, whatever. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I was suspicious of what they were doing so one day I went out and followed a convoy going for ‘supplies’. It was only a couple miles when I found them going into this massive building: big walls, barbed wire, armed guards, the whole bit. I saw them taking people in. Somehow I thought I could help them … but I was wrong. They knew I was following them the whole time. So as soon as I tried to get in they took me. </em>
</p><p>Koba snorted. “Humans - don’t experiment on – other humans!”</p><p>“I can assure you they do,” Eve said, struggling to sound indifferent. “Have done for quite some time. But in this case, apes were becoming much harder to find for experiments. So they figured why not do it to other humans. Easier to catch and bigger in numbers. They took the old and disabled because they saw them as ‘burdens’. I’m sure they told themselves that it was for the greater good of humanity or some crap like that.”</p><p>Some of the apes groaned and Eve thought that they sounded disgusted on her behalf. Caesar, Cornelia and Maurice looked particularly sympathetic.</p><p>Eve stopped. Her whole body was shaking and tears of rage and sadness burned in her eyes. In an attempt to comfort her, Cornelia shuffled over to Eve and slid an arm across her shoulders. Eve’s muscles reflexively recoiled from the touch and Eve had to fight the urge to buck Cornelia’s arm off. Sensing Eve’s discomfort, Cornelia took her arm off Eve, giving her an apologetic look. Eve smiled gratefully, letting her know how deeply she appreciated the gesture.</p><p><em>I was experimented on with the other humans, </em>Eve went on.<em> They told my brother and Amber that I had gone crazy and murdered another soldier. They had originally planned to take my sister instead because of her disability and the genetic immunity to the Flu all three of us had but since I had seen what they were doing they took me instead so I could not tell everyone what was really going on. Danny – my brother – moved on with the army. They rotated the battalions guarding The Ark and the lab so that did not stay too long to think about what was really going on there. </em></p><p><em>Your brother left you? </em>the chimp, Rocket, said, appalled.</p><p><em>Yes, </em>Eve said matter of factly. <em>I never saw him again. I had no idea where my sister was. </em></p><p>
  <em>I spent three years in that lab. I fought them as hard as I could. Nothing mattered anymore. I didn't want to make it easy for them. They locked me in the ape section as punishment after that. That's where I met Bad Ape and the others. It took a long time but we learned to communicate between our cells. I taught them to sign when I could. We used the fact that they rotated the staff to our advantage as the next rotation would know nothing about us and the previous ones weren't allowed to tell them anything. Not that they could anyway. That's how Amber got in. They were running out of people to help out at the lab so she volunteered. They didn't know who she was – they couldn't really track anybody anymore and nobody still carried ID. Any electronics were reserved for the lab so they weren't monitoring the village that way either. She had been hiding in The Ark, keeping to herself. Amber hid Luna in the woods and Luna would hunt for food for the both of them. </em>
</p><p><em>Why did she have to hide the dog? </em>Percy inquired.</p><p><em>So the other villagers didn't eat her, </em>Eve said bluntly. <em>So, we made a plan to escape. We waited a long time, perfecting everything. I and the other apes pretended to be more docile, like we'd given up. They underestimated us. </em><em>We took out their power first. Then we took their weapons. </em>Eve looked dtraight at Caesar. <em>You have to understand, we had no choice. They weren't going to let us go without a fight. They thought they could get a cure out of us. A lot of people died … My … sister ... </em>Tears flowed freely out of Eve’s eyes. <em>She was shot in the crossfire trying to save the baby and her mother. </em>A sob escaped Eve’s mouth and she held her face in her hands, trying to compose herself. The hut was completely silent except for Eve’s sobs. Cornelia reached her hand out to Eve, mindful not to touch her. Eve felt a keen burst of appreciation and she allowed Cornelia to quickly take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze.</p><p>Roughly wiping away her tears from her face, Eve peeped back up at the apes. Many of looked as if they felt for her. Even Luca, the gorilla with the impassive face, looked at her with pity. The chimps Grey and Stone, however, just looked uncomfortable. Koba was mildly amused as if he was watching a child trying to act out a cringeworthy performance.</p><p>“I … am sorry,” Caesar said sincerely. Some of the others nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Thank you,” Eve whispered.</p><p>Koba rolled his eye contemptuously. “Why would human – save ape? Give life – for ape? Ape lives – mean nothing to humans!”</p><p><em>“</em>Because she was good!” Eve, finally snapping. She took a calming breath. “She’s – she was – a good person. She just wanted to do the right thing.”</p><p><em>How long ago did this happen? </em>Maurice asked softly.</p><p><em>Two weeks, </em>she signed. <em>Give or take. </em></p><p><em>How did you get here? </em>Luca questioned, suddenly roused into talking.</p><p>
  <em>I drove a school bus here. The army was using them for transport.  It broke down on the way so we went on foot for the rest of the way. </em>
</p><p><em>How did you know we were here? </em>Koba accused.</p><p><em>I saw you on TV when you escaped, </em>Eve signed, much too quickly. <em> I knew that Gen-Sys and the state tried to kill you and that Muir Woods had been bombed but I still hoped that some of you had survived. Even if you hadn't, it still would have been a good place for us to settle. </em></p><p>Caesar nodded, seeming satisfied with her explanation. Koba didn’t look at all convinced but then she didn't need to convince him. He would argue with anything she said regardless. Sure, it wasn’t the complete truth but it was true all the same.</p><p><em>What if you were followed? </em>Koba insisted, clutching at straws.</p><p><em>No one followed us, </em>Eve said darkly.<em> We made sure. Besides, that's what we brought the guns for. </em>Eve turned to Caesar pleadingly. <em>I told Travis to get rid of them once we were here but he must have ignored me. He means no harm, he's just protective. </em></p><p><em>I do understand</em>, Caesar allowed, <em>but we will have to destroy them. </em></p><p>Eve felt a rush of relief. <em>Of course, of course, anything you want. </em></p><p><em>So you got sick during the journey? </em>Percy queried. </p><p>
  <em>I felt ill a week into our journey. I didn't think it was the Flu after all this time but then my nose started bleeding and all the other symptoms showed up. My guess is that the lab infected me with a different version of the virus, one that could actually make me sick. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Have others survived this sickness? </em>
</p><p>Eve shook her head slowly. <em>No. No one lives. Anyone who gets it dies. </em>She gave a shaky laugh. <em>Except me apparently. </em>The thought of it chilled Eve to her core. After all the people she had seen die from the Flu, it couldn’t take her with them?</p><p><em>A different version of the virus then, </em>Maurice suggested. <em>Not as fatal?</em></p><p><em>Maybe. Maybe. </em>Eve nodded her head limply, trying to ignore what that could mean for her.</p><p><em>You took apes all the way here from the lab, even when you were sick, </em>Caesar said. <em>Why would you do this? Why not go and find other humans? </em></p><p>Though Eve knew Caesar meant well, she couldn’t help but get angry. “I'm sorry but isn’t it obvious? My family are <em>dead!</em> My father, mother, sister are all gone and my brother might as well be dead! I have no one else! Nobody!”</p><p>Eve's face was flushed with and her chest heaved.  She saw then that she had gone <em>way</em> too far. Some of the council members were watching her intently, preparing to get up and intervene. Koba had hunched into a half-crouch, ready to leap at her. Caesar stared at her, a warning in his expression. Only Cornelia was calm. </p><p><em>Calm down would you, </em>Cornelia sighed at the apes. <em>She wasn't going to do anything.</em></p><p>"She - disrespect - Caesar!" Koba protested. </p><p><em>Yes, and I am sure she is sorry for that. She is obviously very stressed and has been through a great deal. It would not hurt to have some compassion! </em>With a sour huff, Koba sat back down, the others following suit. Caesar kept his stare fixed on Eve.</p><p><em>I am sorry, </em>Eve said earnestly to Caesar, <em>but please, please understand. Sugriva, Travis, Bad Ape, the baby … they are all I have now. Even if I was going to die, I wanted to know that they would be safe. So why not get them home while I was still breathing? I'm sorry if me coming here has caused trouble for you but I promise you all I wanted to do is make sure they would be somewhere where they would be safe from humans. Somewhere where the children could grow up without fear. I never intended for this. I didn't even think I would make it this far … </em></p><p>Eve paused and took the plunge. <em>If you want me to leave, I will go. Just please take care of the family I have left. </em></p><p>There was a long beat of silence. Caesar's stare bored into her eyes, looking for any sign of deceit. Eve’s gaze didn’t falter – she maintained his stare, keeping absolutely still. <em>Please, </em>she thought.<em> Please believe me. For my family’s sake. </em></p><p>Caesar rose suddenly, his face unreadable. He held his arm out to her.</p><p>“Come with me,” he said.</p><p> </p><p>
  
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So that's finally done! Took a long time with this one as I wasn't really sure how to structure it but I hope it's okay. As always, I'd love feedback and stay safe everyone :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Green-Eyed Monster</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>2016</strong>
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  <em>Evie’s sitting at Mom’s bedside, running a brush through Mom’s hair.</em>
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  <em>It’s been seven days since they went to the gas station. As soon as they got home, Mom was in a mad panic, ordering them to get in the shower and to clean themselves thoroughly. When they were done, Mom hurried in, slamming the door behind her. Waiting outside the door like lost puppies, Evie and Amber heard Mom crying and the thumps and bangs as she went through all the cupboards. A strong stink of chemicals oozed from under the door and Evie realised that Mom was washing with bleach.</em>
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  <em>Once she was done, Mom darted through the house, feverishly cleaning anything she had touched. When Evie went to her, Mom slapped her away, telling her to go to her room with Amber and Danny. Sitting on the floor, all three of them sat in silence as Mom sprayed, scoured, and wiped down every inch of the house. After an hour of cleaning, Mom called out to them, saying it was safe to come out now, and then promptly locked herself in her room. No matter how many times they begged, she forbade anyone from going into her room and told them to leave food and drink for her at the door.</em>
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  <em>Tucking Amber into bed with her, they listened all night through the walls as Mom talked on the phone, calling up her friends and family. All the conversations ended the same – Mom would implore them to take care of Evie, Amber and Danny if she became sick and they would refuse, sympathetic or not, ending in Mom shouting, swearing, and weeping. Although Evie knew Mom was planning for her own death, she couldn't accept it, hoping against hope that Mom was being paranoid and that she wasn’t going to get sick at all. </em>
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  <em>The next morning, reality hit when Evie and Amber were awoken by the sound of Mom wheezing and spluttering. Flinching each time Mom coughed or sneezed, Amber gazed into Evie’s eyes, looking for any sign of comfort or reassurance. Evie didn’t have any.  </em>
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  <em>Later, they heard Mom murmuring and wondered who she could possibly have left to talk to. Only half an hour later their question was answered when Danny shouted for them, pointing out his window. An official-looking white van was parked on their driveway, and several people in hazmat suits were getting out. Amber bolted down the stairs impatiently to open the front door, thinking that they were doctors coming for Mom. </em>
</p><p><em>However, what Amber didn’t see was the hazmat people puncturing the tyres of Mom’s car and spray painting a bright white cross onto their house. But Evie and Danny did. </em>That’s weird, <em>Evie thought. It reminded her of those poor people in medieval times sick with the plague she’d learned about, the ones that were shut away in their homes with a cross painted on their doors … so everyone knew to leave them to die.</em></p><p>
  <em>Evie and Danny looked at each other. “Shit!” they said simultaneously. They sprinted after Amber, knowing it was pointless to try and call her back. Evie was slightly faster than Danny, just yanking Amber back from the open door as the hazmat people raised their guns at her. </em>
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  <em>“Stay back!” one of the hazmat men yelled. “Stay the fuck back!” </em>
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  <em>“She’s sorry, she’s sorry,” Evie said imploringly, throwing her hands up. “She’s deaf, she didn’t know!” </em>
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  <em>The hazmat people lowered their weapons and the man that had spoken prodded an accusing finger at them. “We had a report that a woman was sick with the virus here. Where is she?”</em>
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  <em>“That’s our mom, she’s upstairs, in her room,” Evie said shakily. “She isolated herself from us.” </em>
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  <em>The hazmat man snorted. “Not that it’ll do much good, but I appreciate the thought.” He slid a large cardboard box over to them. “These are your supplies, food, water, all that. It should last you seven days.” </em>
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  <em>“Wha - what happens after seven days?” Danny stammered nervously. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We come back and if anyone is still here, we will take them with us to the refugee camp. Until then you are not allowed out of this house. Try it and you will be met with lethal force. You understand?” </em>
</p><p><em>If</em> someone was still here?</p><p>
  <em>“You can’t do that!” Danny complained. “And what do you mean by lethal force?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The hazmat man laughed mirthlessly and sardonically waved them goodbye. “Remember kids – seven days. Go outside before that and you will be shot.” They drove away. </em>
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  <em>All trembling, they made sure that the van had gone for good before going inside, locking the door tightly behind them. They gaped at each other, pale with shock. </em>
</p><p>Is Mom going to die? <em>Amber signed fearfully. </em>Are <em>we </em>going to die too? </p><p><em>Evie’s throat closed. She wasn’t ready to talk about Mom dying. It was like if she didn’t talk about it, it wouldn't happen.</em> <em>Evie hadn’t even considered that </em>they <em>could be sick too. She had been too wrapped up in denial about Mom the whole time. But what if they were sick? What if Amber and Danny were sick? What if everyone else got sick and left Evie all alone? Evie didn’t much care if she died though she feared the pain of it. If everyone else was okay, Evie didn’t mind what happened to her.</em></p><p>I don’t know. <em>Evie finally admitted. </em>I don’t know.</p><p>
  <em>Over the next few days, the house was quiet except for Mom’s hacking and sneezing. Evie and Amber didn’t see much of Danny – the only times they saw him out of his room was for breakfast and dinner and he was always puffy-eyed from crying. Amber tried many times to get Danny out of his room, but he never answered her, banging on the door to get her to go away. Nonetheless, Amber forgave him every time. She figured that Danny was sad and scared like them and that he would come out when he was ready.</em>
</p><p><em>But Evie knew it was more than that – he was ashamed of himself. He was supposed to help Mom and protect her and instead he stood by, crying and pissing himself like a little boy. He’s the big brother, the man of the house and his job was to protect the family, isn’t that what Dad used to say? But he didn’t. Deep down, Evie understands that it’s not his fault. He might be fourteen and a bit of dick sometimes but he’s still a frightened kid. Yet there’s another part of her, angry and spiteful, that blames him for Mom getting sick. She can hear it whisper in her head sometimes when she sees him: </em>If you’d helped Mom like you said you would Mom wouldn’t be sick. None of this would be happening. Your fault. <strong>Your fault.</strong></p><p>
  <em>It was the fifth day when Mom really took a turn for the worst. Eating lunch in the kitchen, Evie and Amber were startled by a loud thump above their heads. Mom's room. Without hesitation, they scrambled up the stairs, pounding on Mom’s door. When they didn’t get an answer, Evie threw herself at the door, hoping to break it down like they did in the movies. Instead, Evie winded herself, colliding with the door with a dull thud. The lock buckled under her weight regardless and they made their way in, Evie cussing under her breath. </em>
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  <em>Amber gasped. At the end of the bed, Mom was curled up on the floor, quivering and coughing. With a pale trembling hand, Mom swung her arm clumsily at them, trying to get them away. Blood was speckled on Mom’s hands and plastered on her nose and mouth.</em>
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  <em>Making a silent agreement, Evie and Amber hoisted Mom up by her arms, awkwardly pulling her onto the bed. Mom argued the whole time, pushing at them feebly, telling them to go. After several minutes of this, Evie lost her temper. “Mom, stop! If we were going to get sick it would have happened already! We’re not going to go away so just let us help you!” Mom shut up, probably as astonished as Evie that she dared yell at her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>From then on, Evie and Amber decide to take turns watching over and caring for Mom. Mom reluctantly accepts it – but then she doesn't really have a choice. Day by day, Mom gets weaker, getting to the point where they must hand wash and feed her. Danny didn’t much like it either; for the first couple of days, Danny made a point of avoiding them, muttering something about infection risk. Mom didn’t take it personally (she thought he was being sensible) but before long even Danny starts showing up at her door to check on her. He doesn’t go any further than that. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>That night, as the sun was setting, snow started falling, thick and heavy. Amber watched it wistfully from the window, sad that she couldn’t go outside to play in it. Even though they are certain that there is no one for miles around to shoot them, they’re still scared of the hazmat man’s warning. To make up for it, Danny opened his window and shone a torch out of it, lighting up the flakes as they danced in the air. For hours, Amber stuck her head and hands out of the window, catching the snowflakes in her fingers and the curls of her hair. Evie watched them for a while, warmed by Amber’s beautiful beaming face and Danny sitting dutifully beside her, before slipping away to Mom’s room. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Danny and Amber are asleep now, in Danny’s bed. Evie’s tired but she's taking any opportunity to spend time with Mom while she still can. As she runs the brush through Mom’s hair, she pauses, noticing silver roots blooming in the ash blonde locks that she’s sure weren’t there before.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Shaking it off, Evie rummages through Mom’s jewellery box, finding Mom's favourite crescent moon hairpin. As she lifts it out, the ring on her thumb glints in the light of the bedside lamp. Evie quickly plunks her hand down, but Mom sees it.</em>
</p><p>What’s that sweetheart? <em>she signs. She signs most of the time these days - it hurts her too much to talk.</em></p><p>Nothing, <em>Evie says, sheepish.</em></p><p><em>Mom laughs. </em>Liar. <em>She lifts Evie’s hand, freezing when she sees the golden band. </em>Is that your father’s ring? <em>Mom asks tentatively.</em></p><p>
  <em>Evie nods guiltily.</em>
</p><p>But I thought he took it with him?</p><p><em>Evie shakes her head. </em>I found it here, on the floor, after he went. I would have told you but … I like having it with me. It makes me feel closer to him.</p><p><em>Mom squeezes Evie’s hand tenderly. Her hands are rough and blotchy from cleaning. </em>It’s okay Evie. I understand. <em>Mom sighs. </em>I should have handled your dad leaving better. I should have been there for you.</p><p>
  <em>Evie shrugs – as far as she’s concerned Mom has nothing to apologise for.</em>
</p><p>He might be okay, you know. He’s certainly avoided all this.</p><p>He’s dead, <em>Evie says bluntly. </em>I know that. It was his fault anyway.</p><p><em>Mom grimaces at her. </em>You shouldn’t say that Evie. I know it’s easy to be angry with him, but I know you miss him. <em>Mom’s face brightens. </em>What if I gave you something from me? Something to remember me by?</p><p>Mom don’t –</p><p>Evelyn, please. You must accept it. I’m going to die. It’s going to happen. And when it does you need to take your brother and sister to Aunt Tabitha’s. <em>Evie’s face crumples and tears pour from her eyes. Mom puts her arm around Evie, holding her close. “I’m so sorry sweetie but it’s true,” she croaks into Evie’s ear. “You have to be strong for your brother and sister. You’re stronger than you know. Just promise me that you’ll stay together. You, Amber and Danny. You have to protect each other.”</em></p><p>
  <em>“I promise,” Evie sniffles. “I promise.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Good.” Mom pulls back, wiping the tears from Evie’s face with her thumb. “Now let’s get that pin in your hair. It’s going to look really pretty.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Evie lets Mom thread the pin into her hair. It takes Mom a while – her hands shake, and she keeps jabbing her fingers on the point, but she manages to be gentle. It’s kind of nice, actually. Evie closes her eyes, relaxing for the first time in months.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Done!” Mom says and Evie’s disappointed that it’s over so soon. Mom plucks a hand mirror from her box and holds it out so Evie can see. To her surprise, Evie likes it. The pin sparkles prettily in her hair and Evie smiles. Mom grins back at her. “See, I told you!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Watching Mom in the mirror, she almost looks like her old, happy, healthy self again. Evie doesn't want to look away - if she keeps looking then she can pretend that everything will stay this way, that it’s all okay -</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It’s only then that they hear the laughter outside.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Caesar held out his hand to Eve, waiting patiently. Eve hesitated for half a second and then took his hand. His hand, warm and coarse, firmly gripped hers and he went to lift her up. Predictably, as soon as Caesar hoisted her upright, Eve’s legs sang in agony and they folded underneath her. Catching her, Caesar tucked his arm underneath Eve’s, bearing all of Eve’s weight. Breathing a quick “thanks”, Eve threw her arm over Caesar’s shoulders to steady herself. Eve almost wanted to apologise for Caesar taking all her weight when she remembered – he’s a freaking chimpanzee who was many, many times stronger than her. He could handle it. Anyhow, there wasn’t much of her left anyways, barely skin and bone.</p><p>Slowly but surely, Caesar escorted her out of the hut, gesturing for the others to follow. The sudden blast of sunlight blinded Eve and she had to stop for a few moments to let the dizzying spots in her eyes fade. Squinting into the light, her eyes gradually adjusted.</p><p>The first thing she saw was apes. Lots and lots of apes. In their huts, the paths, and the trees above, apes gawped at her, frozen on the spot. Eve squirmed at the attention and averted her eyes. Seeing her discomfort, Caesar grunted at them, jerking his head. One by one, the apes reluctantly went about their day although Eve could still feel their eyes on her.  </p><p>Eve wasn’t entirely sure where Caesar was taking her. For all she knew, he was showing her the door, or worse, but she doubted that. He wouldn’t be walking her along himself if he was just going to throw her out. Or at least she hoped not.</p><p>Guided by Caesar, they walked down the narrow trails, passing several huts as they did. Eve stumbled over the stones, the last one pitching her forward despite Caesar’s grip. Luckily, a large, furry arm was thrown out in front of her in the nick of time, preventing her from falling flat on her face. Righting herself, Eve turned to see Luca looking down at her. “Thank you,” Eve said gratefully, and Luca nodded, flashing a glimmer of a smile.</p><p>Eventually, the pathway opened onto a massive courtyard. Eve couldn’t help but gasp. The beauty of it was stunning. The courtyard was ringed by intricately built wooden walls made from fallen logs and branches. From here Eve could see that the village (it was a village, there was no other way to describe it) was up high, nestled into a mountain. Other huts and buildings were sprawled across the woods of the mountain, linked together by footpaths cut through the trees. At the back of the courtyard, Eve spied a stone platform tucked cosily into a corner. On the wall, Eve could just make out what looked like writing and symbols chalked onto it.</p><p>Looking up the hill, Eve could see tree roots embedded into the rock. Following the roots up, a massive tree was sat at the top of a hill, overlooking the whole village. Logs had been planted in the trunk, spiralling into a staircase up to the top, above the leaves, where a large house had been constructed.</p><p>“Wow,” Eve breathed, probably one of the few genuine ‘wows’ she’d ever uttered in her life. “Is that your house?” she asked Caesar, fascinated. He chuckled at her childlike wonder and nodded.</p><p>Eve was enthralled by the village and was trying to take in everything, finding herself unconsciously pulling Caesar along as she went to explore. It was typical of Eve to get so distracted in potential life or death situations. Ever since she was a child, Eve was prone to daydreaming and would often wander off if her attention wasn’t held long enough; so much so that Dad used to call her his ‘little wanderer’. Granted, Dad wouldn’t be so fond of his ‘little wanderer’ when he’d have to yell hundreds of times to get her attention when she was right next to him. The worst time was when Evie was two years old and he and Mom spent hours trying to find her in the zoo only to discover that she was still diligently running her toy train along the edge of all the enclosures, not once noticing that they were gone. She could feel the 'wandering' coming on now and she was tempted to ask Caesar a thousand questions: <em>how did you build this, how long did it take, where’s the water coming from, is there a waterfall nearby –</em></p><p>Eve was cut short by the sight of a small group of apes bunched together by the corner of the courtyard. At the front of the group was a chimpanzee with long slashes running down his back. As he spun towards her, it all clicked. Travis. Sugriva. Bad Ape. The baby. Luna. Bad Ape. Kali. Jambo. Bear. Yolanda. Olive. Star. Grape. Kopral. Lily. Autumn. Gaia. Harley. Rama. Eshu. All here. All <em>alive.</em></p><p>A few beats rolled by and then a piercing shriek of joy sounded, and they surged towards her. Eve barely had time to register anything that was happening before Travis whisked her out Caesar’s arms, crushing her into a tight hug. Sugriva’s arm wrapped around her shoulders and he pushed his face forward, pressing his forehead against hers. Bad Ape was calling Eve’s name ecstatically, hoping about by her knees. Eve felt her eyes prickle with tears, and she put her arms around Travis and Sugriva, burying her head into Sugriva’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”</p><p>“It … okay,” Travis said, and Sugriva squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.</p><p>Someone behind them grunted and Travis and Sugriva pulled away from Eve, revealing Kali holding the excited baby orang. Eve reached out for her and the baby practically jumped into her arms, clinging onto Eve’s neck. Eve enfolded her arms around the baby and clasped her close to her chest, cooing to her soothingly. “Thank you, Kali,” Eve said earnestly. “How’s she been?”</p><p>Kali smiled. “Good … missing you. So has … Bear.” Tucked into Kali’s arm, Bear’s head peeked out at Eve and she laughed and ruffled his head. “Missed you too sweetheart.”</p><p>Suddenly, Luna, tail wagging frantically, leapt up at her, her paws scrabbling for purchase on Eve’s shoulders. She yipped happily, licking Eve's face. If wasn’t for Sugriva and Travis, Eve would have been knocked off her feet, but she didn't care, giggling and stroking Luna’s back. “Give me a sec you looney dog,” she said.</p><p>With Travis’s and Sugriva’s help, Eve knelt, bringing her level with Bad Ape. Bad Ape scrambled into Eve’s arms, chattering away, all the while Luna zoomed around them, lapping at their faces. “Friend Eve! Friend Eve! So happy! Happy day!”</p><p>Rama and Eshu were the only ones that didn’t come up to Eve, hiding at the back. She smiled at them in greeting and Rama bobbed his head briefly in acknowledgement. Eshu, turned away, arms folded. Oh well. It was the best she was ever going to get from either of them.  </p><p>Caesar and his council observed from a distance, giving them space. In complete gratitude, Eve mouthed the words “thank you” to Caesar and Cornelia, the tightness in her throat choking off the sound. They smiled at her in return, genuinely happy for them.  <em>You and your family can wait here, </em>Caesar said. <em>I’m sure you have a lot to talk about. In the meantime, I will talk with the council.</em></p><p>Caesar and the council began heading up towards Caesar’s home. Koba hesitated, staring at them with an unreadable expression, before loping after his fellow council members. Eve watched him go, feeling an increasing sense of dread. <em>Trouble, </em>she thought. <em>He’s trouble.</em></p><p>Before she could think on it further, she became aware of Bad Ape gibbering at her, pointing wildly at her face. “What, what?” Eve said, momentarily panicked.</p><p>“Friend Eve! Your eyes – eyes are different!” Bad Ape said.</p><p>Eve relaxed and sighed, assuming he was talking about a burst blood vessel or something. “Why, are they still red? I told you it’s because –"</p><p>“No friend Eve! They’re green!”</p>
<hr/><p>Leading the council into his home, Caesar was at last satisfied with Eve's and the other apes’ stories. Before, he wasn’t sure what to think when they’d started questioning Eve. Even if he’d believed them when they had first arrived, Koba’s discovery of the guns had made Caesar doubt himself. In truth, the uncovering of the guns had infuriated Caesar and he wondered whether Koba was right and that he’d allowed his memories of Will to cloud his judgement.</p><p>He hadn't liked confining the troop to their homes, but he couldn’t justify the risk. After all, Pope had taught him that even apes could become corrupted under the influence of humans. He had the apes questioned at length about the guns and they all agreed: it was definitely Travis’ fault. Caesar had no trouble believing that as Travis was the only one that had gotten defensive about the guns, insisting that they were necessary for Eve’s safety. That was another thing Caesar noticed – how Travis never talked about the group as a group, only mentioning Eve.</p><p>Caesar was stunned when it was revealed that Eve had survived. While Caesar had considered a scenario in which Eve lived in his head, he’d never gave it much thought. She’d been so ill, Caesar was sure that she would die, and, whilst he was sorry for her suffering, he had to admit that it would be easier on everyone if she died. But no. She lived and Caesar was at loss on what to do.</p><p>He wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he 'officially' met Eve for the first time. She was certainly frail – her scrawny and starved body made that clear - but there was a steely determination in her eyes that he respected. She had certainly held her own whilst being questioned by them – it was not often that Caesar saw someone stand up to Koba, let alone a human. Oh, she was brave, that was for sure. Strong too. Not once had she given in to her fragility (physical or emotional) and she’d been more than happy to give what she took, going as far as to snap at Caesar! While he couldn’t say he’d been pleased by that, he secretly admired it. It had also told him something else very important: that her feelings for the apes were real and that they were fierce.</p><p>Taking her to see the apes had been the final test - he’d wanted to see how the troop reacted to her survival, whether they were delighted or dismayed with her recovery. Their reaction to her was astounding to most of the council, least of all Caesar. The pure happiness in their faces, the way they ran to her, the way they’d embraced her … They really did love her. And she loved them.</p><p>As he ushered the council into his home, Caesar thought about how Eve had offered to leave to guarantee the safety of the troop. It was quite a selfless thing to do, for ape or human. If they made her leave, she would be completely alone, no friends or family, in a world with very few humans left. And yet, knowing that, she still offered to leave. At that moment, Caesar resolved that he wouldn’t have Eve expelled from the village. Human or not, he could not in good conscience tear Eve from the only family she had left or them from her. He was going to let her stay.</p><p>The trouble was convincing everyone else that this was a good idea.</p><p>Beckoning everyone to sit, Caesar settled next to Cornelia at the front, looking over the rest of the council. Caesar scrutinised his council, measuring their reaction to what they’d just seen. Maurice was serene – he was obviously touched by Eve and the apes’ reunion. Luca was the same, however much he was trying to hide it. Rocket was neutral (he would follow Caesar’s lead no matter what he thought) and Percy had his fist knuckled at his mouth, his pose when he was deep in thought. Unexpectedly, Koba appeared to be thinking it over as well. This was encouraging and Caesar felt cautiously optimistic. Maybe the apes' reaction to Eve had convinced Koba that she could be trusted. Perhaps the fact that Eve too had been experimented on in a lab made her more sympathetic to Koba.</p><p><em>So the human will leave soon? </em>Koba asked hopefully.</p><p>Or not.</p><p><em>We cannot make her leave, </em>Maurice protested. <em>She is still too weak. We would be sending her out to die!</em></p><p>Koba shrugged, unfazed.</p><p><em>We shouldn’t be making her leave anyway! </em>Cornelia said. <em>It would be cruel to separate her and the baby! The troop wouldn’t allow it.</em></p><p><em>It is not their decision, </em>Koba said, undeterred. <em>We can give the baby to a female orangutan.</em></p><p><em>We can’t just steal the baby from the person she sees as her mother and hand her over to some random female! </em>Cornelia insisted. <em>Would you have her second mother taken away from her too?</em></p><p>Koba became agitated, bristling with outrage. “Human - took my – mother!” Koba snarled, hurt. "I would - never take an ape - from their <em>real </em>mother!"</p><p>"Koba," Caesar said sternly. “Choose your … next words … wisely!”</p><p>Koba lowered his head, genuinely repentant for shouting at his queen. The rage in his face crumbled and for a moment Caesar could see the frightened, grief-stricken child Koba had once been. <em>I am sorry my queen, </em>he said. <em>Forgive me.</em></p><p><em>It is alright Koba, </em>Cornelia said kindly. <em>I know that you still grieve for your mother. But Eve is different – she did not snatch this baby from her mother. She took the baby in because her mother was killed escaping the lab and there was no one else to care for her.</em></p><p><em>But why would a human do that? </em>Koba said with childlike naïveté. <em>Why would a human take care of an ape if not to use or hurt it?</em></p><p><em>I think … I think that Eve felt for her, especially as she is a baby. </em>Cornelia paused. <em>But I also think that it is her way of … honouring her sister’s sacrifice. To make her sister’s death meaningful. To know she continued what her sister started.</em></p><p>Koba fell quiet, and Caesar thought that Koba at long last accepted what she was saying.</p><p><em>So she stays? </em>Luca said, breaking the stillness. <em>The girl?</em></p><p>Caesar drew himself up. <em>Yes. That is what I want. I know that it will be difficult for some apes to accept but I believe that Eve is a friend to apes. I believe that she escaped a lab with the troop, and I believe that she cares for them, not as pets but as equals. It would not be right to turn Eve away – nor would it be right to take her from the troop.</em></p><p><em>I agree, </em>Cornelia said.</p><p><em>As do I, </em>Percy said unexpectedly. Seeing everyone’s questioning glances, he elaborated. <em>She doesn’t act like a normal human. Doesn’t talk to apes with stupid-speak.</em></p><p>Caesar grasped what Percy meant – ‘stupid-speak’ was what many apes used to describe the childish way humans spoke to apes before the Rise, clucking at them as if they were nothing more than dumb, mindless animals. Eve hadn’t spoken to them like that; she had talked to them with respect.</p><p><em>I too think that she is an ally to apes and that she can adapt to our ways, </em>Percy maintained. <em>And even if it is revealed that she is a danger, she is one and we are many.</em></p><p><em>But what if there are other humans out there waiting for her? </em>Grey countered, provoked into talking by Koba’s lack of response. <em>What if they sent her to spy on apes?</em></p><p><em>It’s unlikely, </em>Maurice said thoughtfully. <em>Why would they send her to spy on apes if they weren’t sure she was going to live? We all saw how unwell she was – and how vulnerable she is now. It would be impossible to fake that.</em></p><p>The council concurred – it was unlikely.</p><p><em>It would be better to have her stay, </em>Luca said. <em>If she remains here, we can watch her to see whether she’s a spy or not. We can search the woods for other humans to be sure as well.</em></p><p>Luca’s plan was sound – it would make more sense to keep Eve in the village where they could keep a closer eye on her. If other humans were found or Eve was discovered to have ulterior motives, they would deal with it then.</p><p><em>So are we all in agreement? </em>Caesar said. The others dipped their heads in assent. Grey and Stone looked to Koba to interject but he ignored them, glowering into the distance. Dejected, Grey and Stone gave up, grudgingly accepting the council’s decision.</p><p>Maurice smiled at Caesar. <em>Shall we tell them?</em></p>
<hr/><p>“Green?! My eyes aren’t green!” Eve slapped at her eyes as if that was somehow going to help. “Show me! Somebody! Does anyone have something shiny?”</p><p><em>There’s water over there, </em>Sugriva said, pointing to a water bath supplied by the wooden piping running through the courtyard. Sugriva was also gawping at Eve’s eyes and she knew by the disbelief in his face that he could see what Bad Ape was seeing.</p><p>Flustered, Eve staggered onto her feet, adrenaline the only thing holding her up. Clutching at Sugriva’s shoulder, Eve shuffled over to the water in the fastest walk she could bear.</p><p>Peering at the water’s surface, Eve couldn’t see anything she recognised. Looking back at her was a wan, emaciated woman with dark knotted hair tumbling down to her waist. On the top of the woman’s head, silver streaks were starting to root and the normally rich red of the hair was dull.</p><p><em>I really shouldn’t be so surprised</em>, Eve thought. Now that she thought of it, it had been years since she’d even looked at herself <em>on purpose. </em>Long before she went into the lab.</p><p>The crescent moon tangled in her hair glittered faintly in the water and the copper leaf hanging from her neck swung lazily on its chain. Automatically, Eve’s hand flew up, and she exhaled in relief when she saw Dad’s gold ring glinting on her bony finger.</p><p>But those was the last familiar, comforting features. Eve turned her attention to her face and shuddered. Her pasty skin was stretched tightly across her skull, her cheekbones and nose jutting out sharply.</p><p>Her eyes were a vivid green.</p><p>Eve’s ears roared and she had to bend down, letting the blood rush back into her head. No, no, no, no. Her eyes were blue. Her eyes were <em>blue</em>. Like Mom and Dad’s.</p><p>“What have they done to me?” she breathed, and she knew she wasn’t just talking about the eyes. Her chest constricted and she choked out a dry sob. “What did they do to me?” she cried, desperately looking for someone, anyone that had the answers. All the troop could do was stare back at her helplessly.</p><p>Stirred by Eve’s panic, the baby twitched, turning from Eve’s chest and gazing into the water. Squeaking in interest, the baby fluttered her arms, spellbound by the reflection. Feeling her breathing slow,  Eve chuckled and waved at the baby’s reflection. The baby gurgled and flapped her arms like a giant baby bird and Eve laughed, the anxiety draining from her. Eve felt a surge of pure love for the little girl with her big azure eyes and fluffy cloud-like fur, and she impulsively kissed the little girl’s head. The body of the baby’s real mother flashed before her eyes and Eve went cold. It was a reminder -  the baby didn’t belong to her.</p><p><em>“</em>It … okay Eve,” Bad Ape said. “Eyes green … like us!”</p><p>Eve considered this. Her eyes did match the exact shade of the changed apes’. In a way, Eve had to admit that despite the terror they made her feel they were quite beautiful.</p><p>“Does that mean I get to be super smart as opposed to just smart?” Eve said, trying to joke, the hysteric quaver in her voice making it fall flat.</p><p><em>Maybe it not last long?</em> Yolanda signed, cautiously edging into Eve’s view. She knew better than to come up from behind Eve.</p><p>“Maybe,” Eve said, unconvinced.</p><p>“Could be side effect,” Travis grunted. “Nothing … to worry about.”</p><p>“Yeah.” Eve wavered. “Should we tell Caesar?”</p><p>“Why?” Travis spat aggressively. “He don’t need to know.”</p><p>“Well, I just thought I should tell them. What if it means something?”</p><p>“It mean nothing!” Travis said brusquely. “It not matter.”</p><p>Eve frowned, confused. “What is it Travis? Did something happen? Do you not trust Caesar?”</p><p>“Caesar … okay. Other apes … not so sure. One-Eye and others … threaten … to hurt you. One-Eye take guns from us!”</p><p>“One-Eye? You mean Koba? Besides, you weren’t supposed to have those! I told you to get rid of them!”</p><p>“Need … for troop safety! And One-Eye hurt you! Make you … shake!” He threw up his hands in frustration.</p><p>“Make me shake? Like a seizure?” Travis nodded. “Travis you can’t <em>make </em>someone have a seizure!”</p><p>“He did,” Travis muttered stubbornly.</p><p>“Well, he couldn’t have. He probably has very good reasons for not liking me anyway. I’m human, remember? <em>Most</em> apes aren’t going to like me.”</p><p>“But you’re different,” Travis retained.</p><p>“They don’t know that.”  </p><p>Travis and Eve glared at each other stubbornly, at a stalemate.</p><p><em>What happens now? </em>Sugriva interrupted. <em>What did they say?</em></p><p>“They asked me about what happened in the labs, why I was with all of you,” Eve explained. “They asked me about what happened before … all this. They said that you could all stay here.”</p><p>Everyone in the troop seemed pleased with that and Eve was relieved that everyone liked it here.</p><p>All except Travis. “And you?” he said purposefully.</p><p>Eve bit her lip. “I … I don’t know. They didn’t say. But I don’t think I’ll be allowed to stay here.”</p><p>It was like she’d set off a firework. Travis growled and Sugriva rumbled angrily. Yolanda panted and Bad Ape squawked, babbling “oh no, oh no!” The other apes in the courtyard snapped their heads towards the troop in alarm, and Eve desperately waved them down.</p><p>“I know it’s … I know it’s hard, but we should have expected this,” Eve pleaded. “I was never going to able to stay. It would never work.”</p><p>“Then I go,” Travis said flatly.</p><p>To Eve’s mortification, Bad Ape agreed. “I go too!”</p><p>“NO!” Eve thundered. “Travis don’t encourage him. You must stay here! This is what this has all been about! Getting you all home! There was never going to be any place for me in that.”</p><p><em>But what will you do? </em>Yolanda implored.</p><p>“I could go and see the sights. I’ve never been to San Francisco before. I hear it’s very nice this time of year.” Eve strove to keep her voice light, but she knew she wasn’t fooling anybody.</p><p><em>I’m not leaving you, </em>Sugriva said.</p><p>“You have to,” Eve said softly. “This was our reason. You won’t be safe with me. There are still people out there, dangerous people. We would have to hide all the time. We couldn’t settle down anywhere.”</p><p><em>Neither could you, </em>Sugriva pointed out.</p><p>“I’ll … I’ll be okay. I’ll … make my own way.” Eve had plans for exactly what she would do when she left but they didn’t need to know any of that. It was better that way.</p><p>“I –“</p><p>Abruptly, hoots and jabbering began to fill the courtyard. Apes started arriving from every corner, hopping down from the walls and the trees.</p><p>The troop recoiled from the apes, shrinking back towards Eve. Travis hissed and pulled his teeth back, lunging forward until Eve laid a hand on his shoulder. “Relax. I don’t think they’re here for us.”</p><p>Even though the apes sneaked occasional glances in their direction, most of them were looking up expectantly at the stone platform, waiting. A few minutes later, Caesar and his council strode onto the platform, Caesar and Cornelia up front, hand in hand. The apes below shrieked excitedly. Obviously, Caesar had summoned them all here. But for what? To kick her out? Now that would be <em>really </em>mean.</p><p>With a wave of his hand, Caesar beckoned for the troop to come up. The troop shuffled anxiously but Eve immediately took Sugriva’s arm and made her way up, Travis and Luna nipping at her heels. One by one, the rest of them trailed after her. As she approached Caesar, he smiled at her and she felt a twinge of hope. <em>Surely he can’t do all this just to banish me? </em>Eve thought. <em>He can’t be that cruel.</em></p><p><em>Apes, </em>Caesar said, addressing the crowd beneath, <em>I know there have been many rumours in the past few days. I know that some of you have been afraid and feared for apes’ safety, but I am here to put these fears to rest. </em>Caesar paused meaningfully, his gaze sweeping across the apes. <em>This much is true – a few days ago, we found a troop of apes that were searching for us. With them was a very sick human. She stands here before you today. </em>Caesar gestured to Eve and Eve nodded back, doing her best to hide the nerves that skittered across her as the apes gawked at her. </p><p><em>Her name is Eve. She was poisoned by other humans – humans that experimented on humans and apes! </em>A murmur rippled through the crowd; the notion that both apes <em>and </em>humans were being experimented on was unthought of, alien. </p><p><em>It was with great sacrifice that Eve led these apes to our home. Although she was at the point of death, she ensured that these apes, apes that she considers her friends, made their way to a new home. Eve also took in an ape baby made motherless by the humans that had experimented on them, caring for her as if she were her own. </em>The apes beheld the infant. Resting on Eve’s hip, the girl scrunched her face into Eve’s neck, hiding from the stares. Meeting some of the apes’ eyes, Eve noticed that the suspicion or hostility on some of their faces had relaxed. <em>People always get mushy around kids, </em>Eve thought with amusement.</p><p><em>This sickness nearly killed Eve. </em>Caesar continued<em>.  I witnessed this myself. Yet, she has survived, bringing great joy to her friends. She has been a strong and valuable ally to apes. She is not like other humans. She too has experienced the cruelty humans have inflicted on apes and fought against them. Are we to banish someone that has cared for apes, even above herself? </em>To Eve’s amazement, some of the apes disagreed, shaking their heads and making deriding noises. <em>No. It would be wrong to treat a friend to apes so cruelly. Therefore, it has been decided that Eve shall become a member of our colony. </em> </p><p>For a second Eve couldn’t hear or see anything around her, the shock rendering her numb. Suddenly, the jubilant hoots and screams of the troop crashed into her and she felt everyone reaching for her, pulling her into a hug. Eve went into their arms floppily, still dazed.</p><p>One by one, Sugriva, Travis, Bad Ape, Kali, Jambo, Bear, Yolanda, Olive, Star, Grape, Kopral, Lily, Autumn, Gaia, and Harley embraced Eve, all interlinking together. There was a few indignant grunts and Eve looked up to see Banshee clambering on everyone’s heads to get to Eve. Plopping himself insolently on Travis’ head, Banshee patted Eve’s head, almost like he was congratulating her, and she snickered.</p><p>The apes gaped at them: some were absolutely stunned by the display of emotion between ape and human,  a few even disgusted, while others seemed pleased.</p><p>Rama and Eshu shuffled awkwardly, standing apart from the group.</p><p>Caesar and Cornelia grinned at the troop and Maurice smiled, happy with how things had been resolved. Eve’s eyes met Caesar’s and she’d never felt so thankful. Despite the fact that she was human, he was willing risk the safety of his people so that she could stay with the only family she had left, even going as far as to compliment her, acknowledging everything she had lost to get here. She didn’t just want to thank him – she wanted to do something much more significant.</p><p>Slipping out of the group hug, Eve walked towards Caesar, shrugging off Sugriva and Travis. She wanted to do this by herself. Holding the baby in her left arm, Eve knelt before Caesar and held out her palm in submission. Everything went still – the apes clearly hadn’t known that Eve was aware of or willing to do ape rituals. Some of the troop gasped and Travis audibly grumbled but she ignored them. After a couple of beats, Eve felt Caesar slide his palm across hers and she looked up to see him smiling down at her. All the apes howled and called out and it sounded like celebration. Caesar held out his hand and Eve gladly took it, letting him pull her up.</p><p>The baby fidgeted in Eve’s arms and Eve beamed down at her. Cornelia held her finger out to the baby and she gripped it curiously, turning it in her little hands. <em>Do you have a name for her yet? </em>Cornelia asked.</p><p>Before, Eve would have refused (and did refuse, many times) to give the baby a name. It wasn’t because she didn’t love the girl. It was because she knew she would have to leave her eventually, one way or another. But it was different now. Eve could stay with her. She could take care of the girl as <em>her </em>baby. In that moment, Eve swore that they would never be parted again. She wouldn’t <em>allow</em> it.</p><p>So, yes, Eve did have a name for her. Eve had known the baby’s name from the very start. She just hadn’t been able to bring herself to say it.</p><p>“Sky,” Eve said. “Her name is Sky.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aw, so the baby finally got named :) Glad I can call her by her name now lol.<br/>So Eve has green eyes now (though I guess you could say Travis is the real green-eyed monster lol). The impact of that is entirely dependant on what people want to see. I have a lot of ideas on where that could go, from Eve getting slightly smarter to getting SUPER smart just like some certain creepy people in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Just let me know what you think!<br/>In the next chapter, things are going to start picking up now so the story is going to go forward in time by a bit so we can see how everyone settles in, especially Eve.<br/>As always, I'd love feedback so I know to continue. Stay safe everyone :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Down With The Kids</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The new chapter is finally here! Sorry it took so long, things got quite busy, but, looking at the way things are going with COVID-19 in England, I might have way more spare time again in lockdown (lol, fuck my life).<br/>Also, thank you to any new followers, favourites, kudos and bookmarks. I honestly thought my story wouldn't get that much attention so it means a lot to me :)<br/>WARNING: There's a ton of ANGST at the start of this chapter so naturally there will be a few trigger warnings. In Eve's flashback, there is a violent death by fire which may be distressing for some readers, especially with the wildfires in California and I hope that anyone involved is safe and that it will be resolved soon. It's totally fine if you skip this part as it just gives context to what happened to Eve's Mom and why Eve has greater empathy for apes than humans.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>2016</strong>
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  <em>Evie and Mom pause for a second, making sure if they both heard the sound. There's a heavy silence and then the laughter starts up again ever so faintly. Mom sits up, alert. She doesn't ask Evie if it's Amber or Danny – the laughter is too low and deep. Men. They have no neighbours and no one else is here for miles around. They are alone. So if they can hear them through the thick hush of the snow it means only one thing - they're outside the house.</em>
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  <em>The purr of a car engine trickles through a draft in the bedroom window and someone – a man – loudly shushes the men with him and they giggle.</em>
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  <em>Mom throws her stiff legs over the bed and goes to stand up but Evie stops her. "Let me look, Mom. It's probably just the hazmat people again." Evie doesn't believe that at all – she knows full well that the seven days aren't up yet. But she says it anyway as if she can fool Mom and herself.</em>
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  <em>Creeping up to the window, Evie slowly peels the curtain back, opening it up into a sliver. Harsh bright light beams into the window and Evie easily spots the shiny red truck parked on their driveway.</em>
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  <em>Silhouetted by the headlights are four figures. Evie squints and the three closest dark blobs sharpen into young men. None of them are dressed for the snow: they're all in t-shirts and jeans, their faces and arms red from the cold. She can't make out the fourth one. One of them stumbles on a patch of ice and the glass bottle in his hand winks in the light. The clear liquid inside it swishes about. Drunk. Evie's had enough experience to know that. They all stare intently at the door and suddenly Evie knows exactly what they're looking at - the cross.</em>
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  <em>In a flash, the fourth person looks right up at her. Though their face is still shadowed and strangely pointed, their eyes shine up at her, flickering eerily in the light. She then realises why she couldn't make them out the first time. They're wearing a plague mask. A medieval plague doctor's mask.</em>
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  <em>Terrified, she reels back from the window and the plague doctor howls with laughter. The other men's heads snap up and they jeer at her. "That's right!" one of them shouts. "It's time for your cleansing!"</em>
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  <em>Mom quickly staggers out of bed, panting from the effort. Yanking the curtain aside, she watches in horror as the men start unloading several plastic jugs from the back of the truck. One of them waves a jug up at them teasingly and they both see the bright red of the gas can.</em>
</p><p>"<em>It's time to cleanse you plague-ridden fuckers!" the man yells, slurring his words. "They might think keeping you virus spreaders alive is the right thing to do but they're wrong! We are the chosen, the ones that must clean this unclean world. Just … just accept it. It'll be easier on you." He lights a match. "WE ARE THE BEGINNING AND THE END!"</em></p><p>
  <em>Evie's vision pinholes and her ears ring. They're those terrorists. They're Alpha Omega. And they're going to burn them alive.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Go!" Mom cries and shoves Evie towards the door. "Get Danny and Amber!"</em></p><p>
  <em>Evie bolts across the staircase, crashing into Danny's door. The door bursts open, slamming into the wall, and Danny and Amber squint at Evie groggily.</em>
</p><p>"<em>What –" Danny starts but Evie is already yanking him up by the arm.</em></p><p>"<em>We've got to go, there's people here, they're gonna set fire to the house," Evie babbles breathlessly. Danny stares at her blankly and she shakes him, hard. "Danny, wake up! We gotta go! They're gonna burn the house down, the people outside are gonna set the house on fire!"</em></p><p>
  <em>Danny blinks and he finally reacts, pulling Amber out of bed. Grabbing her by the hand, Evie drags her out of the room, Danny right behind them, Amber gaping at them in confusion. Explanations could wait.</em>
</p><p>"<em>WE ARE THE BEGINNING AND THE END!" The men are still chanting it, screaming it.</em></p><p>
  <em>Meeting them at the staircase, Mom waves them down the stairs, Dad's gun in hand. Breathless, Mom stumbles down the stairs, a heavy thud sounding with each step. She pitches towards the front door to open it, but smoke is already billowing through the cracks.</em>
</p><p><em>Evie's eyes sting from the smoke and she starts coughing, choking on the heat. Everyone is coughing, Mom more than ever. Mom gasps painfully in between coughs, desperate for air, and she hacks up a thick spatter of blood, gagging on it. She signs something to them, but Evie can't see through the smoke or her tears. Mom drags them towards her, signing right in front of their faces. </em>Go to the front room. Open windows and go out that way. Put your shirts over your faces and mouths. Stay low. <em>She demonstrates, shoving her t-shirt securely over her mouth and nose.</em></p><p>
  <em>Mimicking her, they run for the front room, getting some relief from the slightly cooler, thinner air. Danny reaches the window first and swipes the curtain aside. He is scrabbling frantically at the window handle when the plague doctor appears, their pointed nose and black bottomless eyes peering out from the other side of the glass. Danny falls back with a shout and Amber screams. The plague doctor taps a handgun on the glass and shakes their head mockingly.</em>
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  <em>Mom looks around the room urgently, trying to find a way out. Smoke starts pouring in from the hall and Evie is blinded again. Her head is spinning, and she wants to be sick. She can't see Mom, Danny or Amber. She's gonna die, she's gonna die, she's -</em>
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  <em>Without warning, she feels a tight grip on her arm pulling her back into the smoke. Dizzy and confused, Evie tries to yank herself out of the hold, away from the smoke but it doesn't relent, hauling her back into the hall. A hand pushes her down hard and she thinks she hears Mom ordering her to get down. Evie drops onto her hands and knees, numbly letting Mom push her along. Mom forces her back by the front door and Evie cringes from the scorching heat of the flames now engulfing the front of the house. She crawls across the carpet, sobbing and choking, her face and lungs burning.</em>
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  <em>Mom swipes at Evie's side, indicating to her to turn left into the corridor. Evie fumbles across the floor, going as fast as she can while still pressing her T-shirt onto her face. The heat recedes and the smoke thins a little, curling in the air. Turning back to Mom, she can see her dragging herself painstakingly across the carpet, hacking violently into her shirt. It is wet with blood. Mom motions for Evie to keep moving, pointing to the basement staircase. Evie might have questioned this before, but she doesn't now – she just goes. There's no time for thinking.</em>
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  <em>She shuffles round the corner, seeing Amber and Danny down below. Clawing her nails into the steps, she crawls down the stairs, straining to stop herself tumbling headfirst down the stairs while also keeping her head below the smoke. Her temples throbbing and her arms screaming with pain, she reaches the last step, sliding down it in exhaustion. Danny heaves her into the basement, going back for Mom. Wheezing from the effort, Danny pulls Mom down by her arms, gently dropping them before slamming the basement door shut.</em>
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  <em>It's dark in the basement; the only light pools in from the crack under the door. Already Evie can see a fine cloud of fumes rolling in.</em>
</p><p><em>Chest heaving, Mom lays down on the floor, her blood-splattered mouth wide open, hungry for air. Taking a few struggling breaths, Mom pushes herself up onto to her knees. </em>Danny<em>, she signs, coughing, </em>open the safe and get your Dad's gun. There should be some money in there as well. Here.<em> She pulls out a set of keys from her pocket and holds them out. Danny takes them and rushes to the safe.</em></p><p><em>She turns to Evie and Amber. </em>There should be some of your Dad's old coats in here. Find yourselves some, you're going to need it.<em> Amber nods and starts rifling through the piles of clothes they'd left down there. </em>Evie, get some boots as well. It doesn't matter if they don't fit. <em>Evie bundles through the shoes, flinging out random pairs of winter boots.</em></p><p>
  <em>At Mom's insistence, Evie, Amber and Danny are soon fully kitted out in Dad's old winter wear. It doesn't fit Danny or Evie great. Amber's practically drowning in hers. Tucking the wads of money into his coat pockets, Danny clutches the gun firmly in his hand.</em>
</p><p>You see that window?<em> Mom asks, jabbing her finger at the glass panel at the top of the wall. </em>You're going to go through there. You're going stand on my shoulders so you can get at it. Lookout and wait for your sisters. As soon as you're all outside, run to the treeline and <em>hide</em>. Then go to Tabitha's house, okay? You know the way.</p><p>"<em>Mom –" Evie says but Mom hushes her.</em></p><p>Danny, you go first. They shouldn't be waiting out there, they'll be by the front, but if they are you know what to do.</p><p>
  <em>Danny nods solemnly and briskly follows Mom to the window. Awkwardly, with the help of a nearby cabinet, Danny steadies himself on Mom's shoulders and opens the window. A blast of cold air flies into the basement and Evie shivers despite the growing heat radiating from the basement door.</em>
</p><p><em>Danny clambers into the window, struggling to get purchase. Digging his hands into the snowy ground outside, Danny manages to pull himself out. A tense few seconds go by and Danny pokes his head back in, signalling the all-clear. Mom scoops up Amber, murmuring something right into her ear before lifting her into Danny's waiting arms. The ceiling above creaks ominously and there's a </em>whoosh<em> as something flares in the flames.</em></p><p>
  <em>Mom turns to Evie, beckoning for Evie to go but she hesitates. Mom isn't wearing a coat or boots. "Mom," she says, looking into Mom's face searchingly, "you're coming with us, right?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom stares at Evie and it's then that Evie understands that Mom will never leave here, that she can't possibly fit through that window and that she thinks she will slow them down. She sees the pain in Mom's eyes, the sacrifice, but she also sees the love.</em>
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  <em>Mom cups her face tenderly. "Of course sweetheart," she lies softly, "I'll be right behind you. Now go, Evelyn." She swiftly kisses Evie's forehead and pushes her to the window.</em>
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  <em>If things were different, maybe Evie would stay behind with Mom. Maybe she would try to persuade her to come with them or to find another way out. Maybe she would stay with her until the end. But she doesn't. Hearing the roar of the fire through the floorboards, breathing the searing smoke into her lungs, Evie feels the terror rip through her, and she lets herself believe that Mom will come with them. She leaves her.</em>
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  <em>Getting up on the cabinet, Evie climbs onto Mom's shoulders, gripping the windowsill. Amber watches anxiously from outside as Danny grasps Evie's hands, occasionally looking round for the men, their faces lit up by the blaze. Danny pulls her, just dragging her torso out when her hips catch on the window. Evie yelps. Her gut is pressing painfully against the windowpane and her hips refuse to go budge. Evie's breath quickens and she can feel the panic closing in. Whimpering with fear, Evie struggles against the window frame, her legs kicking wildly. Mom seizes hold of her legs, her nails biting into them, and pushes them. Danny pulls harder, digging his heels into the soggy ground.</em>
</p><p>Push. Pull. Push. Pull.</p><p>
  <em>Suddenly, out of the snapping and hissing of the fire, a loud groan rises out of the house. Before she can even register what that means, there is an almighty crack and hot fiery embers shower down into the basement. Mom screams and staggers back, letting go of Evie's legs. Shrieking in agony, Evie pulls and twists, trying to escape the fire raining down on her. Her heels smash into the window and she dimly feels shattered glass slashing into her calves. Joining Danny, Amber tugs at her urgently, feet scrambling in the snow.</em>
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  <em>Then, impossibly, Evie feels Mom's hands on her, giving her one big, final push and Evie goes through the frame. Tugging her across the ground, away from the house, Danny turns her over, her legs pressing into the snow. Evie wails, her burnt and sliced up legs smarting from the sudden icy chill. The agonising sting makes everything go hazy and Evie distantly hears her home give one last sigh before collapsing in on itself.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Mom!" Danny screams, rushing back to the window. He peers into the remains, fruitlessly searching for any sign of her. But she's gone – all that's left is smoke and fire. Crying out, Danny reluctantly wretches his head from the window, his hair singed.</em></p><p><em>Amber wails mournfully, tears streaming down her face, and Evie absentmindedly pats her on the shoulder, feeling herself float above the pain and the crying. Over the fire, she thinks she hears someone talking. In a daze, she looks to her right and sees one of the men lurching towards them, his yells barely audible. Abruptly, there's a big </em>BANG<em> and the man stumbles mid-step, a red flower blossoming on his shoulder.</em></p><p>Hit their centre of mass, <em>Evie can hear Dad saying, </em>it's your best shot. Don't go for a headshot if you don't know you can do it for sure. Go for the chest - that's where all the vital organs are.</p><p>
  <em>The man crumples to his knees and she feels Danny wrench at her shoulder. "Go!" he screams, gun still pointed at the man. "Go!" Without waiting for an answer, he yanks her up and forces her into the woods. Evie grabs onto Amber and together they let him haul them to safety.</em>
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  <em>Evie's head lolls and she finds herself looking up at the sky. Snowflakes serenely tumble from the sky, glowing in the firelight. Evie smiles giddily, ridiculously happy that snow is still falling. As the pain and the screaming fades into the safe, quiet dark of the woods, Evie sticks her tongue out to collect the flakes. As they melt on her tongue, a bitter taste fills her mouth.</em>
</p><p>Oh, <em>she thinks as she falls into the black. </em>It's ash.</p><hr/><p>"Travis, I swear it's fine."</p><p>"<em>Hmph</em>."</p><p>"It's fine, I can walk in a straight line by myself you know."</p><p>"No … you can't."</p><p>"Yes I can!"</p><p>"Not what you did … last time."</p><p>"Seriously you're bringing that up! I slipped, that's all! I'm sure my legs are perfectly functional now."</p><p>Travis hovered anxiously around Eve as she made her way down the path, carefully trekking down the slope from the Shelter. Making sure her scarf was wrapped snuggly around her neck, Eve ran her hand down her ponytail, checking the tightness of the knot. She didn't like wearing the ponytail – it made the contrast between the grey blooming across the crown of her head and the faded red bleeding down the end of her ponytail way more obvious. She wasn't sure if she would have cared before - she'd never bothered to take that much care in her appearance, not because it made her 'different' or something stupid like that, but because she honestly didn't care enough to. She didn't really care that much now. It was only because it reminded her of what <em>they</em> had done to her. And she couldn't hide it.</p><p>Eve's skin crawled and she shuddered. Pulling down the sleeves of her jacket as far as they would go, she reflexively touched the pin in her hair. The itch in her skin receded. She felt better.</p><p>Travis and Sugriva walked closely either side of her, convinced that she was going to fall. Bad Ape, however, dutifully toddled along, cooing up to Sky and mumbling some song of his own creation to her. It always made Eve smile, seeing Bad Ape being so sweet to Sky. In truth, he was natural with this kid stuff and was so far the only one that could hold Sky without her freaking out. It was super helpful when Eve needed her hands free and Sky seemed to enjoy it. She always smiled and gurgled at his silly faces and voices.</p><p>Sky, perched on Eve's shoulder, was watching Bad Ape now, squeaking happily. Bad Ape stuck his tongue out at her and Sky copied him, eyes and tongue lolling. Eve laughed and planted a kiss on Sky's cheek.</p><p>Luna woofed at them impatiently, stopping further along the path. When she was sure she'd got everyone's attention, she whipped her head back sassily and trotted on, as always, following the scent of food.</p><p>It had been a few weeks since Eve had officially joined the village. For the time being, she'd mostly stayed put in the Shelter since she was deemed too ill to be moved just yet. Cornelia especially was determined to fatten her up and had massive platters of food delivered to her day and night. Eve had protested at first, feeling bad that so much food was being wasted on her, but Cornelia insisted. In a way, Cornelia reminded her of her grandmother – they both had that powerful and stubborn kindness you could never refuse:</p><p>
  <em>Oh, thank you, that's very kind of you, but it's too much, I couldn't –</em>
</p><p><em>It's alright dear, it's for </em>you<em>.</em></p><p>
  <em>But I can't –</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Just take it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But –</em>
</p><p>
  <em>TAKE IT.</em>
</p><p>As Caesar ordered, all their guns had been taken and destroyed. Keen volunteers, Rocket and Koba had bashed them into smithereens with rocks, metal and bullets flying everywhere as Travis looked on sullenly. Trying to be helpful, Eve had offered to show them how to dismantle the guns properly and unload the bullets. Rocket had been quite keen to take Eve's help, interested in the mechanics of the gun and how it worked. However, Koba wasn't happy with that, signing something about not letting the human get its hands on the gun. Eve had to resist an eye roll (what did he think she was going to do, shoot them in the face and then take on the entire village by herself?) All the same, Rocket complied, though he was clearly annoyed.</p><p>Yet, there were several things that Eve had remained stubborn on. One, that she and the troop kept the rest of their weapons. Eve was particularly precious about her collection of scavenged knives. They were one of the only other things she knew how to fight with, excluding basic hand to hand combat, as she'd been 'generously' taught in her brief stint with the army. The council – especially Koba - had been reluctant to let her keep them until she'd pointed out that it was a matter of trust. "I know I'm asking you to trust in a stranger, a human at that, but it goes both ways. We need to be able to trust you too. We need to be able to protect ourselves," she'd argued.</p><p>Many council members were deeply offended by the suggestion that Eve or the troop might need to defend themselves from them and accused her of challenging Caesar. Fortunately, the ever-reliable Maurice calmed the situation. <em>It is not unreasonable for the troop to have their own weapons, </em>Maurice said. <em>As Eve said, the troop do not yet know us. It would only be fair to allow the troop to have weapons so that they can feel secure in their new home. Furthermore, they may need their weapons to defend themselves against other humans or animals in the forest, and to hunt.</em></p><p>Eve was grateful for Maurice's intervention as most of the council and (more importantly) Caesar were placated by this.</p><p>Two was that they kept the medicine. Eve (with the help of Amber, Travis, Mama, Sugriva, and Danny at various times) had painstaking foraged the medication over the years, meticulously collecting and cataloguing creams, pills, remedies, and bandages for all types of illness. Amber had taken over the job full time when Eve was locked away, filching boxes of army issued medication from the lab whenever she could. They'd literally <em>killed</em> for their medicine stash.</p><p>Koba - who else? - staunchly argued that the medicine was <em>definitely, definitely</em> poison and that Eve intended to make apes sick with her 'human toxins'. Considerate to the lab ape's obvious and understandable fear of needles and 'potions', Eve explained that the medication would be beneficial to humans and apes and that it could treat and cure multiple illnesses. Making clear it that she would happy to share the medicine amongst the village, Eve offered to show the apes how to properly administer it on the sick, should they trust her enough.</p><p>The entire time, Caesar had kept that intense, searching gaze of his on Eve and she had been sure that he could see into her soul. After some deliberation, Eve suggested that the healers could be in possession of the medicine all the time and that only they could prescribe it, particularly in emergencies. Caesar agreed with this and held out his arm to Eve seal the deal. Thinking he was going for the submissive gesture, Eve had turned her palm up at Caesar, surprised when he gently gripped her arm instead. Staring at Caesar in confusion, he looked kindly at her. "Trust," he said quietly, a statement and a question.</p><p>Looking into Caesar's open, sincere face, Eve found that she truly believed him. Here he was, talking to her openly and honestly, not making her submit to him but freely offering his trust and in turn, asking her to do the same. She'd felt something then, something she wasn't used to feeling for a stranger: faith. Clasping Caesar's arm, she nodded at him. "Trust."</p><p>During the rest of her stay in the Shelter, Eve had come to know the healers pretty well. The chimpanzee woman she had scared the living crap out of when she'd first woken up turned out to be a very nice lady called Sparrow. She seemed to be the healer that all apes went to and was incredibly skilled at what she did. She'd understandably been very nervous around Eve at first, keeping her distance as if she'd expected Eve to leap up and bite her at any moment. She'd eventually come round though and was quite happy to talk to Eve, fussing over Sky. Eve had made sure to thank Sparrow for caring for her and practically saving her life. Sparrow had clucked at that, insisting she hadn't had much to do with Eve's miraculous recovery, even though Eve swore she saw her blush.</p><p>On the other hand, Tinker (Rocket's wife as Eve had learnt) was still quite guarded around her. While she would talk to Eve and ask her about her progress, she was cold and clipped, never getting overly personal. While it would be easy to assume that Tinker was fearful of her purely because she was a human, Eve suspected it was more to do with the fact that she was stealing away Cornelia's attention.</p><p>Thanks to Cornelia's forced feeding, Eve had gained quite a lot of weight. She didn't look so skeletal anymore: her ribs weren't sticking out and her face had filled out somewhat, a healthy flush lighting her features. Whilst the hollows under her eyes had faded, the green in them remained. No one else in the village seemed to have noticed them and Eve decided to keep it that way. It wasn't that Eve was deliberately keeping the eyes a secret; it was more that she ignored them entirely, conveniently forgetting about them until she was abruptly reminded of them when she looked at something shiny. They didn't necessarily scare her anymore – it was more that they reminded her of all the things that been had been taken from her, right down to the colour of her eyes. Otherwise, Eve didn't think much of them – it wasn't exactly the worst thing that the Flu could have done to her right?</p><p>Day by day, Eve got stronger, regaining control over her body. It had irritated her to lay still all day, every day and she took any opportunity to get up and stretch her limbs whenever the healers weren't around. She wasn't going to be running laps anytime soon, but she could certainly walk again.</p><p>But today, Eve had put her foot down. She was going outside, and nobody was going to stop her. She couldn't hide in the Shelter forever, as Travis begged to differ; the apes <em>were</em> going to have to see her sometime. Besides, it wasn't like being in the Shelter had stopped them from snooping on her. Blue Eyes and Ash were proof of that.</p><p>She and Sky had been dozing in the Shelter (mostly out of boredom) with Luna curled up at their side. Travis and Sugriva were out, helping with the hunt, while Bad Ape had gone gathering with Cornelia and the other women. Bad Ape had been quite pleased with that as he liked Cornelia and was no good at hunting. He was more likely to get himself killed than to catch something. Travis wasn't eager to leave Eve but even he was desperate for something to do. Sugriva, nonetheless, was excited - he admired Luca and the gorilla guard and was keen to prove his skills. As the others in the troop had gone off to help as well, Eve had watched jealously from her dark little prison as they trampled off into the great outdoors.</p><p>Half-asleep, Eve had become aware that she was being stared at. It was like a tiny itch in her brain and she could physically feel their gaze on her eyelids. Opening her eyes into slits, she could make out two small blurry chimpanzees gaping at her from across the room. From their nervous shuffling and hushed mumbling, Eve knew that they weren't supposed to be there.</p><p><em>It's got a big nose, doesn't it? </em>one of them signed to the other. <em>It's weird – like a bird beak.</em></p><p>The other chimp grunted in agreement. He paused and peered at her. <em>Is it a girl?</em></p><p>"What do you mean, am I girl?" Eve said aloud, indignant.</p><p>The reaction was immediate – the two chimps shrieked in fear and Eve jumped despite herself. The one with the darker, fuller hair fell onto his ass, scrambling back onto his feet and hid behind the other. The chimp with the lighter and thinner fur shoved the other away huffily, his hands flying frantically.</p><p><em>Don't hide behind me Blue Eyes! </em>the chimp signed. <em>You're the one who said that the human would be asleep!</em></p><p><em>It usually is! </em>the one called Blue Eyes insisted, eyeing Eve fearfully. <em>That's what mother said!</em></p><p>"The human does have a name," Eve said dryly.</p><p>The two chimps squawked again. <em>The human knows what we're saying! </em>Blue Eyes said, unnerved.</p><p><em>Yes, I can, </em>Eve signed deliberately. <em>You don't need to scream at me by the way. I'm not that scary.</em></p><p><em>How you know sign? </em>Blue Eyes said accusingly. <em>Humans don't know sign. They talk.</em></p><p><em>Humans </em>do <em>know sign. Sure, humans talk but some of us sign as well so that we can communicate with people that can't talk or hear. I mean, where do you think your Dad got it from?</em></p><p>Blue Eyes seemed to think about this for a few seconds before widening his eyes and stabbing a finger at her. <em>How do you know who my father is?</em></p><p>Eve had to stifle a laugh. He'd be accusing her of witchcraft next. <em>He told me about you. You're Blue Eyes, right? That's what your friend there called you, but I don't know their name.</em></p><p><em>I'm Ash! </em>the other chimp said enthusiastically, earning him a dirty look from Blue Eyes.</p><p><em>That's a nice name. I'm Eve. Evelyn, technically, but everyone calls me Eve. Easier to say. And </em>yes<em>, I am a girl.</em></p><p><em>I know, </em>Blue Eyes said, a little sulkily. His gaze fell on Sky. Lifting her head sleepily, Sky squinted at the two boys before turning her head away shyly when she saw that they were strangers.</p><p><em>The baby has blue eyes like me! </em>Blue Eyes said, awestruck.</p><p>As he said it, Eve noticed the clear blue of the boy's eyes as opposed to Ash's more typical green eyes. <em>Well, that should have been obvious, </em>Eve thought, inwardly rolling her eyes. As she'd learnt, apes tended to be very literal – in their names, their language. Eve remembered when she'd asked what Star's baby's name was and having to stop herself from laughing when Star had replied that it was Grape. When asked why she'd named him Grape, Star had given Eve a weird look like it was obvious and explained that it was her favourite fruit and that it matched the green in her baby's eyes. Simple as that.</p><p><em>Yes, </em>Eve said. <em>It's because she's albino.</em></p><p><em>Albino? </em>Ash said, his face scrunched in confusion.</p><p><em>It's a condition where the skin and hair are lighter than usual, </em>Eve explained. <em>It can make the skin and hair turn white. Sometimes the eyes will turn red or blue.</em></p><p>Blue Eyes perked up. <em>Like Winter?</em></p><p>It was Eve's turn to be confused. <em>You mean like the weather or –</em></p><p><em>No, </em>Blue Eyes impatiently. <em>Winter the gorilla. He has blue eyes and white hair too.</em></p><p>
  <em>Oh. Probably.</em>
</p><p>Ash peered at Sky curiously. <em>Where's her mother?</em></p><p>Eve hesitated. <em>Her mother is gone. I take care of her now.</em></p><p>
  <em>Why?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Because I love her, and I want her to be okay.</em>
</p><p>Blue Eyes looked sceptical. <em>But </em>why<em>?</em></p><p><em>Because I'm not a monster? </em>Eve said, exasperated.</p><p>
  <em>But you're human. Humans don't care for apes. Koba says humans are dangerous and that they hate apes.</em>
</p><p><em>Yeah. That's true for a lot of humans. </em>Eve paused. <em>But I'm a fun human.</em></p><p>Seeing their quizzical looks, Eve sighed. <em>Look, humans can be dangerous and yes, they've done bad things to apes before. But I don't. I've lived with apes for a long time. They're my family.</em></p><p>As she spoke, the two boys edged closer to her, hanging on her every word. It was kind of cute. She was happy to see that they weren't so afraid of her anymore.</p><p><em>What – </em>Ash started but was cut off by a thump and the sound of loud, rasping breathing outside. They froze. Eve might have not been in the village for long but even she knew who that was.</p><p>Slapping the fur flaps away, Koba stomped into the room, crackling with fury. Blue Eyes and Ash scampered away from Eve, cowering in the corner. As soon as he saw the two boys, he growled furiously. "What – Koba – tell you – about going near – human!" he roared.</p><p><em>Sorry Uncle Koba, </em>Ash pleaded. <em>We just wanted to see –</em></p><p>"Human – dangerous! Get out!"</p><p>Without hesitation, they scurried away like the devil was nipping at their heels, which he probably would be as soon as he left here. Koba stared Eve down, his eye full of pure loathing. His whole body was trembling, and Eve knew that he was resisting the urge to tear her apart, piece by piece. He <em>hated </em>her.</p><p>Her throat dried up, Eve numbly stared back at him. Slowly, she went to reach for the blade underneath her blanket, but he turned away, huffing in disgust.</p><p>As he was about to go, Eve, at last, spoke up. "I'm sorry," she said, guilty that Blue Eyes and Ash were in trouble because of her. "It's my fault. They were just curious."</p><p>Koba turned his head slightly, throwing her a piercing stare. Without another word, Koba stalked out. Waiting until she was sure he had gone, Eve laid down, wondering how close she was to dying.</p><p>Shaking off the memory, Eve followed Luna into the courtyard. There weren't many apes around – it was only the afternoon and there were still jobs that needed doing. The apes that were there gawked at her and Sky. Whether it was because Sky had a human for a mother or the fact that she was albino, Eve wasn't sure (probably both). Sky squirmed in discomfort and Eve briefly questioned whether this had been a good idea. <em>Screw it, </em>she thought and, tucking Sky into the crook of her arm, she strode across the courtyard, head held up high.</p><p>Eve quickly found Luna plopped next to the fire where several apes were preparing dinner, spit roasting a deer. The apes cringed away as Luna stared at them beseechingly, and Eve ran up to them apologetically, scooting Luna out of the way. Luna whined sadly. Most of the apes in the village were afraid of anything wolflike and Eve constantly had to make sure that she was close enough to pull Luna away in case she jumped up on the wrong ape.</p><p>There was a soft rumble and Eve turned to see Maurice looking down at her from the stone platform. Happy to see a friendly face, Eve smiled.</p><p>"Oh, hello friend!" Bad Ape said happily, scurrying up behind Eve. Sugriva murmured in greeting and even Travis nodded at him. Everyone in the troop liked Maurice – he was undoubtedly one of the kindest and understanding apes in the whole village. According to the others, he had spoken for them when they first ran into Caesar's apes and had persuaded them to take Eve in. Eve had wanted to thank him for a long time now but there hadn't been a good opportunity to do it yet.</p><p>Maurice beckoned them up and they climbed up onto the platform. Maurice was evidently in the middle of one of his classes as a large group of ape children were sprawled out in front of him. They all had a piece of slate and were attempting to draw numbers onto them. As she approached, the children stirred, turning to stare at Eve and Sky unabashedly. Eve smirked – unlike most of the adults, the kids looked at her with wonder and curiosity as opposed to fear or disgust.</p><p><em>Hi, </em>Eve signed to the kids, giving them a little wave. Although most of them didn't seem used to waving, some of them copied her, waggling their hands excitedly, making Eve laugh.</p><p>Sat next to Maurice were Kali, Jambo, Bear, Yolanda, Olive, Star, Grape, Kopral, Lily, Autumn, Gaia, Harley, Rama and Eshu. Huddled around him, they were all concentrating on Maurice, watching his hands carefully. Careful not to tread on any adorable ape kiddies, Eve skirted around the class, keeping a firm hand on Luna in case she rushed at them happily.</p><p><em>Hello Maurice, </em>Eve signed. <em>I hope we're not disturbing you.</em></p><p><em>Not at all, </em>Maurice said kindly. <em>I thought that while the children were practising their numbers, we could go through sign language together.</em></p><p>From early on, Maurice had offered to teach the troop sign language as well as how to read and write. Coupled with the fact that most of them had been raised in a zoo or lab, Eve had only been able to teach them so much in the little time they'd had together before the escape. Only Sugriva was wholly fluent in sign language and that was only because of Mama and Amber. Bad Ape didn't really understand sign language either, but he'd been too shy to leave the Shelter to attend classes. Travis could understand sign but preferred to speak as he was more accustomed to it.</p><p>"How's the lessons coming along?"Eve asked them out loud.</p><p><em>Good, </em>Yolanda signed, grinning at her. It was true – they had done well for just a few weeks, with Yolanda, Jambo and Autumn making the most progress.</p><p>"Great," Eve beamed. "I knew you'd be fine." Seeing Bear reaching out to her, trying to get her attention, she leaned over and ruffled his head. "Especially with this little genius." They laughed as Bear nodded confidently in assent and for a second a look of bemusement flashed in Maurice's eyes, but it disappeared as soon as it came.</p><p>Eve caught Bad Ape staring in fascination at the class. "Why don't you join them Ape? It'll be good to learn some sign." He shot her a nervous look. "I promise, it'll be fine. We'll be sitting just over there," she said, pointing to a ledge a few metres away, "so we can get out of everyone's way.</p><p>"That's if Maurice doesn't mind," she added.</p><p><em>That is alright, </em>Maurice said. <em>I would happy to teach Bad Ape. </em>He smiled at Sky. <em>And your young one too, when she is of age.</em></p><p>Bad Ape shuffled his feet anxiously and Eve smiled at him encouragingly. Hesitantly, he went and sat next to Yolanda, half hiding behind her.</p><p>Moving away, Eve went to sit down when she noticed the large writing etched the rock face. Now that she was up close, she could read the words, formed into three distinct sentences.</p><p>
  <strong>Ape not kill ape</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Apes together strong</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Knowledge is power</strong>
</p><p>"Ape not kill ape," Travis said softly and the two shared a grim look. Sugriva glanced at the law before wincing and turning away.</p><p>A lonely breeze whistled through the mountain and Eve shivered, though it wasn't necessarily anything to do with the chill. Sugriva signed to Eve and Travis, keeping the movements small and discreet. <em>Do you think it was right? What we did?</em></p><p>Eve flinched and there was a loaded pause. <em>It was necessary, </em>Eve said finally, feeling all emotion draining out of her. <em>Self-defence</em>. <em>We had no choice. It's in the past now. No point thinking about it now.</em></p><p>Sugriva looked at her sadly, clearly disappointed in her. She had gotten used to seeing that look over the past couple of months. Travis, however, agreed. He peered up at the Laws again.</p><p>"Ape not kill ape," Travis said again. He frowned. "Why not 'Ape not kill'?"</p><p>There was another pause and Eve sighed. "You know why."</p><p>"Do I?" Travis replied insolently.</p><p>"Because of humans," Eve said, cutting straight to the point. "Because they might need to kill humans. Is that what you wanted to hear?"</p><p>"Yes. Because I … wonder … what that mean … for you?"</p><p>
  <em>Oh.</em>
</p><p>Eve avoided Travis' gaze. "I'm sure it only applies in self-defence," she mumbled, not wanting to admit he had a point. She spied some symbols on the wall and felt a renewed burst of energy. She pointed at them. "You see. That shows what humans tried to do to them when they escaped. They tried everything they could to kill them. I mean, they <em>firebombed</em> them for God's sake!" Realising her voice had gotten louder, Eve lowered her tone. "They have a right to defend themselves too you know."</p><p>Travis grunted. "Human … ape too. If they say … not kill ape … shouldn't kill … human either."</p><p>"Like we haven't killed humans?" Eve snapped without thinking. A sudden rush of adrenaline flooded her body and she took a shaky breath, willing herself to calm. Sky shifted on her shoulder, playing with Eve's hair, and Eve felt ashamed that they were talking about something like this in front of her. "I don't think they know humans are technically apes anyhow," Eve murmured, trying to end the conversation.</p><p>"Humans … are apes?" said a childish, halting voice behind them.</p><p>Startled, Eve whirled round to see a young, snowy-haired gorilla peeping shyly up at them. Like Sky, his skin was a bright, baby pink and his eyes were light blue. <em>Winter.</em></p><p>"Yes," Eve said tentatively, wondering just how much he had heard.</p><p><em>How?</em> Winter asked, his eyes lit up with interest.</p><p>"Well, we all belong to the same family. Humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, gibbons – we're all apes because we don't have tails, making us different to species like monkeys." The only reason Eve knew this was because she had poured over many books about apes to find out what primates like Sugriva and Travis should eat. She'd enjoyed those fleeting quiet moments where she could read by herself and she'd liked showing Mama, Big Poppa and Sugriva pictures of other gorillas in their natural habitat. It had saddened her too that she had to tell them what their lives in the wild would have been like – they should have known that for themselves. She'd tried showing Travis too, but he'd never been much interested, saying he'd seen it all before on TV.</p><p>Winter made a face. <em>But humans don't look like apes, </em>he said suspiciously. <em>You have no hair on your body and have a huge nose.</em></p><p><em>Jeez, what is it about my nose? </em>Eve thought, automatically bringing up a self-conscious hand to her nose. <em>I thought I was done with these jokes when high school ended forever! </em>She knew he was just being innocent though, so she let it slide. "Are you sure? What other animal do you see that stands up on two legs? Or has an opposable thumb?" She waggled her thumb around and Winter giggled. "See? We both have fingernails instead of claws too! And we have fingerprints." She held out the pad of her thumb to Winter to demonstrate and he grabbed it, comparing it to his own.</p><p>Eve laughed. "Careful, I need that," she teased, pulling her thumb back.</p><p>Winter gave her a small smile and then gasped, eyes widened in fascination. Sky, who'd been hiding in Eve's shoulder as usual, was raptly watching Winter over her shoulder. Interested, Sky unfurled herself, reaching a long arm to touch Winter's face.</p><p><em>She's like me! </em>Winter said, entranced.</p><p>Seeing Winter's and Sky's inquisitiveness in each other, Eve knelt, bringing herself to Winter's level. "Would you like to see her?" she asked softly, and Winter nodded fervently, sticking out his arms for her. "I'm going to have to keep a hold of her as she doesn't like being held by strangers," she warned, "so she's going to have to stay in my arms."</p><p>Winter wavered but as Eve held out Sky to him, he forgot his fear and he delicately went to stroke Sky's head. Sky sat up, striving to get a closer look at Winter without leaving Eve's arms. As Winter drew his hand away, Sky caught it and started nibbling on Winter's fingers. Winter squealed and they all laughed.</p><p><em>Same skin, </em>Winter said, enthralled. <em>Same hair! Same eyes! How?</em></p><p>"It's a condition called albinism. It makes your skin, eyes and hair paler than they would normally be, that's all."</p><p>Winter peeked at the class and to Eve's surprise, they were all watching them. <em>Oh, </em>Eve thought. <em>Not as a private moment as I thought it was.</em></p><p><em>The others say that it makes a freak, </em>Winter signed sadly, hiding his hands from the class. <em>That it makes me weird.</em></p><p>Eve's teeth ground together. "Not at all," Eve said quietly. "If anything, it makes you unique. It would be boring if everything and everyone looked the same, wouldn't it? So why be normal and boring?"</p><p>Winter appeared to physically swell at the praise though his eyes were still unsure. Eve smiled at him encouragingly. "You're not different," Eve said, "you're unique. Remember that."</p><p>A warm, furry body brushed past Eve's cheek and a paw began petting at her leg impatiently. Luna whined in Eve's ear and Winter jumped back, frightened. "It's okay Winter!" Eve assured him. "She's just getting jealous of all the snuggles over here." She tucked Sky back into her arm and patted Luna's head. "You sweet fluffy brat," she said fondly.</p><p>Winter took a few tentative steps toward Luna, tensed to run. Luna padded up to him, sniffing at his face. Winter trembled and he looked like he was going to run when Luna flopped lazily onto her back, legs akimbo, exposing her belly.</p><p>Eve snorted. "She wants you to pet her."</p><p>Gradually, Winter stretched out his hand and lightly poked at Luna's belly. Luna side-eyed Winter expectantly and he giggled, mumbling how she was so fluffy and rubbed her belly.</p><p>Other apes were crowding them now, not all of them children. A young male chimp with a shock of white hair politely asked Eve if he could pet her wolf. "Of course you can pet my dog," she chuckled, "just be gentle." And she watched with amusement as apes young and old fussed over the cute doggie, patiently waiting their turn to give her pets.</p><p>Maurice ambled towards them, amused. <em>It seems your dog has stolen my class.</em></p><p><em>Sorry, </em>Eve said sheepishly but he brushed it off good-naturedly.</p><p><em>I heard what you said, about humans being apes too, </em>Maurice said as he sat down next to her, beckoning Travis and Sugriva to sit too. <em>Is this true?</em></p><p><em>Yes, </em>Eve said.<em> I'm not exactly an expert but I've read it up in books.</em></p><p>Maurice's eyes brightened. <em>Interesting. Do you have these books with you?</em></p><p>
  <em>No, sorry, I don't. We lost them back when we got … taken. We scavenged some children's books and some other stuff on our journey but that's all.</em>
</p><p>Maurice looked disappointed but then his eyes lit up again. <em>But you know these things? You remember this knowledge?</em></p><p><em>Sure … </em>Eve said, not sure what he was getting at. <em>Bits and pieces at most, but yeah.</em> <em>Why?</em></p><p>Maurice looked at the children and then looked at Eve. <em>I may have an idea.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Poor Eve :( But hey, at least Eve's making friends with Maurice and the kids!<br/>Just as an additional note, Eve's hair being grey isn't all that significant to the story, it's just something I read where people who have been really sick with a virus/disease can get grey hair afterwards and I thought it would emphasise how horrible the Flu was for Eve.<br/>Also (as I have been asked before) there is a good possibility that I will pair Eve off with another character but if I do, it will be slow-burn and I probably won't be writing any sexual stuff, unless that's what the people really want lol.<br/>Stay safe everyone and please review :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Starman</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow, almost a month since the last time I updated :/ Definitely wasn't intending to take that long! Sorry its been so long, started uni again and then got sick on top of that. Anyway, apologies for any bad grammar or spelling, I really wanted to get this chapter out of the way and post it finally. Enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>2017</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mama misses Pretty Girl.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She’s not sure how long it’s been – she’s only just beginning to understand what ‘years’, ‘days’ and ‘months’ are – but she knows it’s been long. Too long.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She’s learning a lot of new things. She knows now that Pretty Girl is not Pretty Girl but Amber. She’d known that before really, but only now can she properly connect the word and the thing together. A- M – B – E - R. That’s what Sad Girl, Angry Boy and Worry Woman had called her. Sad Girl was Evie. Angry Boy was Danny. Worry Woman was “Mom”. Mama doesn’t know Mom’s real name; she’d never heard anyone say it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She loved Amber, loved talking to her. She liked Evie too. She even liked Mom although she never talked to Mama. She usually watched from a distance, her teeth nibbling at her lip and nails, all worry. As for Danny - he ignored Mama, so she ignored him.</em>
</p>
<p><em>But Amber was different. Amber was her </em>best friend<em>. When Mama first went to live at the zoo, she’d been so lonely. None of the humans talked to her with the hand-talk like they did at her old home. None of the other stupid gorillas understood her either, staring at her with empty faces whenever she tried to speak to them. She couldn’t play on her buttons or learn more hand-talk with her friend Frankie. She couldn’t leave the big glass box or the big metal cage outside and tickle her feet on the grass. She couldn’t play with the silly little humans banging on the glass. She couldn’t do anything. She never knew why. She hadn’t been a bad girl. She had tried so hard to be good, but they took her away from Frankie anyway. </em></p>
<p><em>Then she met Amber. And she did the hand-talk too! And she understood her! Mama was so happy to find a new friend she could have burst! They would talk and talk through the glass and sometimes they’d play chase, Mama running around the glass box and hiding in the corners, Amber toddling after her, laughing.</em> <em>She would be so sad when Amber had to leave, and she would wait and wait for Amber to come back so they could talk and play again. And time and time again she’d come back, getting a little bigger each time.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Amber often reminded Mama of a little baby with her sweet smiles and giggles. She’d wanted a baby ever since she was a little baby girl like Amber. She dreamed of having a tiny baby of her own to take care of and tickle. It would be easy to think of Amber as her little baby, but she knew that she wasn’t true. Amber’s mother was Mom. Amber could never be her baby.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Big Poppa and she tried many times to have a baby. She hadn’t liked Poppa when they met – he was bossy and didn’t understand when she told him to go away. She had to bite him a couple of times and he would jump back all surprised but then he would lumber away, never hitting her back. After a while, when she was felt her loneliest, Mama let him get closer and he would groom her ever so gently. Poppa was dumb like the other gorillas, but he was nice, and he was friendly to Amber and Evie so she decided that he could be her boyfriend like Frankie had talked about.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They tried and they tried, and Mama got sad, thinking that the baby would never come. And then one day her belly got all big and just like that, a baby was pushing out of her! It hurt a lot, but Mama didn’t care, she finally had everything she wanted. Her little baby boy. Before she just called him ‘Boy’ but as she thought back she remembered that the keepers had called him something strange: S -U – G – R – I – V – A. She liked that name, so she kept it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She’d been so excited to show Amber and Evie what a cute little baby boy she’d made. It made her so happy, seeing Amber, Evie and Sugriva meet for the first time and she knew that they were special to each other, that they were tied somehow. Brother and sisters with no blood. Then that stupid child bashed and crashed on the glass, shouting and taunting Poppa. Mama couldn’t make him understand that it was bad to hurt the humans – she could only watch as he launched himself at the glass, enraged. The glass cracked like a spider web and everyone was screaming and running. Amber was the only one not running away, signing to them, trying to calm Poppa down. It didn’t help though – the people still yelled and rushed. She looked at Mom and Evie to help but they were scared too, their faces white. That’s the last time she saw Amber and Evie, tears running down their faces, being dragged away by Mom.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She doesn’t remember much after that. After all the people had run away, it was quiet, and Mama had hoped that they would be left alone. Gently tucking Sugriva behind her back, she’d slowly crept up to Poppa, seeing if he’d calmed down. He flinched when she touched his shoulder but relaxed as Sugriva’s face peeked over her shoulder at him. Trying to soothe him, she pulled him forward and tenderly brought their foreheads together. She barely registered the sound of the shot and the sting in her back when it all went black.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> When she woken up, it was dark, and she wasn’t in the glass cage anymore. She felt really sleepy and her eyes kept closing. There was a whimper and Mama could dimly see Sugriva burrowing into her breast through blurred eyes. She couldn’t see Poppa anywhere. When she tried to stand up, her eyes filled with dots and her head knocked against something hard. Feeling panicked, Mama slammed her fists against the walls and ceiling, scrabbling around the confined box. Feeling gaps in between the bars of the door, she yanked at them, struggling to get out. But they didn’t budge. And so they were trapped in the metal box.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They have never left the box. Her keeper, the nice man, would appear and give Mama food and water. A lot of the time, the food and the water would taste funny and feel grainy in her mouth, but she ate it anyway. She liked her keeper and she trusted him. As soon as she had, Mama would feel tired, tired and sick and she would lay down, her head pounding. Sugriva would spin around her, poking and shaking her, striving to get her up and she would pat at him feebly, not having the strength to do anything else. She’d stay awake though – she’d had enough of sleeping. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sometimes, she would smell Poppa or think she could hear his muffled roars. She would long for him to come and rescue her and Sugriva, but he never did. Only the keeper would come, looking more drained and dejected every time. Then one day, the keeper came to her, bringing food and water as per usual. He was pale and his eyes were red and watery. Instead of simply handing her the food and water and leaving, he knelt down and spoke quietly to Mama.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’m sorry,” he whispered as if he knew she could understand him. “I’m sorry about this it’s … we had to keep you here until that stuff with the kid died down. It was the little fuckers fault, but we had to stop them putting you all down.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He glanced around uneasily. “Though I guess it’s safer for you here than it is out there right now.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He chuckled darkly, triggering him to cough violently as if he’d choked on his laughter. “Not that you’ll get sick. That’s just the rest of us puny humans.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He coughed again and his breath rattled. </em>
</p>
<p><em>“They’ll be coming. Dumb asses think that you’re the ones spreading the Flu. Even though we’re the ones that made it. And spreading it. At least </em>I’m<em> smart enough to</em> <em>know that. Simian Flu my ass …” </em></p>
<p>
  <em>He trailed off, a line of red running down his nose. He gazed back at Mama and smiled at her sadly. “Huh. And now I’m talking to a gorilla. I guess this shit really does make you go crazy.” His words slurred and his eyelids drooped. “But don’t worry. I won’t let them hurt you.” And with that, he lurched away, his back heaving like he was crying. As she watched him go, she ran her fingers down the bars, smearing the blood he’d coughed onto them. She never saw him again.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>For a while, no one came to feed Mama with the weird food. Her throat dried up and her belly started to hurt. It was so much worse than what the weird food did to her, and she wished that the keeper would bring her some. She didn't care if it made her sick or dizzy, she would eat it, she would eat it ALL, just anything but this. She tried to make sure that Sugriva was fed but soon her milk was drying up and suddenly she understood that they would both die here.</em>
</p>
<p>Please, <em>she signed weakly to the air. </em>Mama eat. Mama good.</p>
<p><em>And then - a lot of big bangs and shouts. Mama was overjoyed. The keeper had come back for them! Managing to lift her head, Mama peered out of the bars expectantly, only to see a stranger with a sharp, mean face staring back at her. She </em>wasn't<em> happy to see him, but he seemed happy to see her. He called out and two other men appeared, grinning at her menacingly. </em></p>
<p>
  <em>"Looks like we've hit the jackpot!" the man snickered, and Mama recoiled in terror. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>They lifted the metal box up and out of the darkroom, knocking Mama and Sugriva about as they did. Fleetingly, she felt the warmth of the sun on her face and cool air flowing through the bars and she limply reached for the outside she missed so much. But it didn't last long - heaving them into a much bigger box, the men roughly pushed them in and slammed the big doors, sharply cutting off the light and the air. Mama desperately wanted to cry then, like humans did, but she couldn't. She whimpered instead, holding Sugriva closer to her. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It was then that she heard a quiet gurgle in the darkness and a familiar scent washed over her. Lifting herself up onto her elbows, Mama squinted into the dark, spotting a shiny box like theirs right beside them. Another rumble rang out and a large shadow shuffled towards the bars of the other box. </em>
</p>
<p>Poppa<em>. </em></p>
<p>
  <em>Mama shrieked and leapt towards him, frantically pressing up against the bars trying to reach him. Stretching out his arm, their fingers just touched, fingertips brushing against each other. His face was gaunt, his eyes large and dull. But it didn’t matter. She’d gotten Poppa back and he was alive. That’s all that mattered.</em>
</p>
<p><em>Later, the men fed them and gave them water. Bit by bit, Mama felt strength ebbing back into her. Though the food was different from what they usually ate (</em>human<em> food) it didn’t taste like weird or make her sick, so she ate it ravenously, not wasting a single crumb. The men made sure that they were fed and watered every day, checking up on them several times a day. This should have made her feel like they were being cared for, like they were safe. It didn’t. She’d heard the men talking before and while she didn’t understand everything they said, she knew enough to realize that the men wanted them for something. Several times she’d heard them whispering about selling them to a lab down south that was offering ransoms for apes. She wasn’t sure what the lab was, but she assumed it was nothing good. </em></p>
<p>
  <em>And they are still here now. They haven’t left the van or their cages, not once. The only times they get to see the outside is when the men open the van doors, though they always shut them right away. They’re hiding them, keeping them hidden from other humans. It’s because other humans might hurt them, like the ones the keeper talked about. She’d realised a while ago that the keeper had been protecting them from these people and that he had probably died defending them, not leaving them to die. It’d made her feel sad and that time she was able to cry, water running down her face. But it made her think too. If humans got sick and died and apes didn’t die, had it done something to them too? Mama could remember and understand things she had never even thought of. Poppa had taken to sign as he had never had, mimicking her perfectly. Sugriva was the same – he could sign a couple of words now. But more than that – all their eyes had turned green. She’d noticed it in Sugriva’s eyes first, the brilliant emerald flashing at her as he’d gazed at her adoringly. Poppa’s eyes followed and not soon after he was able to sign to her that her eyes had changed too.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She’s thinking about this when the van rapidly brakes, flinging their cages into the walls. There’s yelling and screaming and big bangs – guns. Abruptly the shouts cut off and a wail rises up, full of fear and grief. Mama shudders and she worries about what the men are doing. There’s more sobbing and she hears a dragging sound against the pavement outside. Poppa sits up, alert. They hear more dragging before the men huff and heave and drop something to the side with a thump. The men talk amongst themselves, laughing before scuffing back to the front of the van. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Someone’s crying – a girl – and a slightly deeper voice – a boy – is begging. The men are talking again, and they shout at them, telling them to shut up. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Poppa stiffens; cocking her head, Mama can hear slight footsteps coming towards the van doors. It’s not any of the men – the steps are too light. Whoever it is opens the doors gradually, trying to open them as quietly as possible. The doors creak anyway, and the person carefully pulls the doors back.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The lights in the van’s interior blink on and they squint against the harsh shine. Mama forces her eyes open. The sky is dark, the road stretching under the van illuminated only by the dim glow of the van. The red lights of the back of the van shine on the person’s face, shimmering in their golden curls. </em>
</p>
<p>Mama, <em>Amber says. </em></p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>All in all, Maurice was feeling pleased with himself. Ever since he’d suggested that Eve help him with classes, the children were learning more than he could ever teach them and he’d gained himself a new helper.</p>
<p>Eve had been hesitant at first, saying that she only had a basic knowledge at best of the things she knew and that she hadn’t even finished school. Maurice, however, suspected she was just being modest. Even if Eve wasn’t as clever as she appeared, she was a human with a human education which meant she automatically knew more about the world than any ape did.</p>
<p>After much persuading on Maurice’s part, Eve agreed, seemingly glad to help. <em>I would say that I’m doing it to be a good neighbour and all that but I’m just happy to work with cute kids all day, </em>Eve had joked to Maurice, a humorously sly look on her face, and to his surprise, he had laughed.</p>
<p>Eve was a strange human, there was no doubt about that. If being the only human in the village bothered her, she didn’t show it. Maurice still hadn’t really gotten over the shock he felt whenever she spoke to him or other apes, looking them in the eye and talking to them as if they were human too. Not once in Maurice’s life had a human spoken to him like that. It always one of two things – the harsh shouts and insults as they tried to beat the circus tricks into him or the stupid-speak the audience would use on him, <em>oohing</em> and <em>aahing</em> at him, jabbing and jabbering at him to <em>do something stupid monkey! </em>Somehow the stupid-speak was worse; whereas the trainers would leave him alone once he did their silly tricks, the cheers and shrieks of the crowd were relentless, taunting him for hours.</p>
<p>So it was … unusual to see Eve at such ease with the apes. Her relationship with the troop was especially bizarre. There had been many times where Maurice spied Eve casually reaching her arm around Sugriva’s shoulders to give him a brief hug or smacking a kiss on Sky’s cheek. The troop obviously had a deeper attachment to Eve than other apes in the village and liked to throng around her when they were resting in the courtyard, ignoring the apes that didn’t dare go near.</p>
<p>Travis was particularly close to Eve and took great pains to stay by her side as much as possible. His behaviour reminded Maurice of a male protecting his mate and he wondered whether Eve and Travis’ closeness was more meaningful than he’d assumed. Human and ape relationships were utterly unheard of in the village and most (if not all) apes would be appalled by the very idea of it. But Maurice had to admit it made sense. Out of all the troop, Travis was by far the most human, preferring to walk and talk like them. He also seemed to know more about humans and their culture than any other ape, even more so than Caesar. Maurice remembered Rocket once asking about the grey in Eve’s hair as he’d never seen grey hair in a human so young and Eve replying in a deadpan tone that it was probably the trauma. When Rocket hadn’t reacted, Eve quickly corrected herself, saying that the flu had undoubtedly put stress on her body which showed in her hair. Rocket had then asked her whether it worried her, perhaps echoing his own insecurities about his hair – or the lack of it – and Eve had shrugged, telling him that if it didn’t affect her in a major way then it would be fine. Almost as an afterthought, Eve had mumbled to herself that “at least I look like the cool dragon lady from Game of Thrones” and Travis had guffawed as if he knew what she meant.</p>
<p>It was all understandable, Maurice supposed. From what the troop had said, Eve had been the one to free them from the lab, though she tried her best to play down her role in it. And from what she had said herself, humanity had been far crueller to her than any ape had. So maybe it made sense that had found each other. Maybe they represented something Maurice had never even considered before – a world where humans and apes could coexist.</p>
<p>For the most part, Eve helped the children during classes, showing them how to do numbers and letters. She was also teaching them more sign language, showing them how to sign more complex words and phrases. Maurice thought it would be good for Eve to teach them how to speak as well. While the adult apes could obviously talk, they didn’t like to do it as it needlessly strained their throats to say a couple of words that easily could have been said in sign. In comparison, the children took better to talking out loud and he thought that it would be useful for apes to know spoken and sign language, specifically for apes that were blind or unable to sign. And who better to do it than a human?</p>
<p>As expected, some of the children’s parents did not like the fact that a human was anywhere near their children and complained to Maurice, sometimes right in front of Eve. While he did his best to reassure them, he would lose his temper with the ones that openly insulted Eve. Eve never retaliated, keeping her face carefully blank, and would look away as if ashamed, repeatedly having to tell the troop – Travis – to back down. This infuriated Maurice and he would curtly tell them to mind their language in front of Sky, forever perched on Eve’s shoulder, and to speak to Caesar if they had any concerns. Eve would look at Maurice, surprised by his intervention but grateful all the same, and he would suddenly see a much younger, vulnerable girl in front of him than the brave, hardened woman the troop respected. It reminded him that for all she had been through she was still a young girl.</p>
<p>Of course, several of the parents did complain to Caesar about Eve, prompting him to ask Maurice and her about what they were doing. While Eve was quite happy to step down if the parents were uncomfortable with her teaching their children, Maurice was far more stubborn, arguing that they all could learn a lot from Eve; not just sign or spoken language but more about the world itself. Since he would be supervising Eve and all the classes, he argued that there would be nothing to fear. But it wasn’t just that – he wanted the younger apes to become more accustomed to Eve. For years Koba had drummed into them horrifying stories of the evil and cruelty of humans, and although they were <em>true</em>, Maurice was wary of the children growing up to hate and fear something they had never even encountered. And there was good in humans too. Whilst he himself had never seen their good side, Caesar had, and Maurice believed what he had told him of his human family. The man with the haunted eyes who had warned them of the impending firestorm all those years ago and Eve were proof of it too.</p>
<p>Caesar enthusiastically accepted this, agreeing that Eve could teach them things that no other ape in the village would be able to teach. He assured the parents that Maurice would always be there to watch over Eve and that he trusted him wholeheartedly, implying that if they didn’t trust Maurice, they didn’t trust <em>him</em>. No one complained after that.</p>
<p>Things went smoothly from then on. The children that weren’t taught or told to keep away from Eve by their parents liked her and she was very good at interacting with them and encouraging them. In the breaks in between lessons, they would ask her about humans and the world beyond the village. She would sit with her legs crossed and the children would gather around her, eager to hear her stories. She told them about the world and how there were many different continents and countries, and therefore many various languages – in the thousands last time she had heard. She told them that she had come from Canada and that she had learnt both English and French due to the previous countries colonizing those areas in the past. They, on the other hand, were currently in the United States of America and she’d pointed to where they were on a map in one of the books she’d scavenged. Maurice was amazed by how big the world was and it made him feel small. It also made him appreciate how far Eve had travelled over the years.</p>
<p>Over time, more and more apes, young and old, gathered to listen to Eve’s stories. Even Koba started listening in, and though he claimed that he was checking in on what the human was saying, Maurice suspected he was more interested in what she had to say (not that that stopped him from contradicting or interrupting her). It never ceased to surprise Maurice how little apes knew about their own world and how one human girl could know so much.</p>
<p>But perhaps knowing too much had its own consequences.</p>
<p>It was evening and the sky was clear and cold, forcing many apes into their huts early for the night. The ones that braved the chill were wrapped in furs and huddled around their fires. Caesar, Maurice, and their friends were sat in the centre of the courtyard, warming themselves by the fire. Eve and the troop were sitting by their own fire in the corner, right up by the paths, talking. Strangely, Eve, wrapped up in her green coat, was sat furthest away from the fire. Maurice thought this was odd as she was clearly not being shunned from the group and she was visibly cold, shivering. The others, nonetheless, were sat closer to the fire and were talking cheerfully. Sky, who had wriggled herself into Eve’s coat and had her head poking out of the neck, was obviously warm, her eyes drooping sleepily.</p>
<p>One by one, members of the troop gradually left the fireside, leaving Eve, Sky, Luna, Travis, Sugriva, Bad Ape, Yolanda and Banshee. Sensing an opportunity, Cornelia put her hand on Caesar’s shoulder and looked towards them discreetly. Nodding, Caesar called out to the troop, inviting them over. Cautiously skirting around the fires other apes had built, Eve sat next to Caesar, still keeping her distance from the fire, and the others settled around her. Seeing that Eve was there, Ash hooted excitedly and scampered up to her, dragging along the less enthused Blue Eyes, and plopped himself down beside her. The normally shy Winter also crept up to Eve and, to everyone’s shock, seated himself next to her, smiling up at Sky. Defying his parents’ stares, the young chimp Cloud shuffled closer to Eve too, followed by his more hesitant bonobo friend, Rain. While Rain seemed just as wary of humans as everyone else, she had a fondness for Luna and visibly relaxed as she ran her hand down the dog’s back.</p>
<p>They were barely able to say anything to Eve before the children bombarded her with questions. Ash had heard from Winter that Eve had said that humans were technically apes and wanted to know if it was true. Everyone’s heads snapped towards Eve and suddenly it wasn’t just the children staring at her. Shifting uncomfortably under the stares, Eve paused as if she was thinking about what she was going to say before quickly shrugging it off. “That’s true,” she said flatly.</p>
<p>Koba snorted derisively and Eve turned to him. “It is! I know we aren’t exactly the same, but there are a lot more similarities than differences. I mean, think about it. You see any other animal that walks like us? Talks like us?”</p>
<p>Koba threw her a sulky look – even he had to admit she had a point. Caesar and Cornelia looked intrigued and Maurice gurgled encouragingly. <em>Eve has told me about this, </em>he said. <em>It was very interesting. Why don’t you tell them, Eve?</em></p>
<p>Eve peered at the apes around her, unsure, but, seeing she had their undivided attention, she launched into her story. She talked about humans and how they had evolved from apes some four to seven <em>million</em> winters ago and that they all belonged to same family ‘the Great Apes’ (“I’ve been trying to get him to call himself ‘Great Ape’ for months,” Eve said, flicking an exasperated glance at Bad Ape who smiled sweetly). Apparently, whereas gibbons were still technically apes, they belonged to a different branch called the ‘Lesser Apes’. Eve glanced at Banshee apologetically as she said this and he huffed sourly, letting her know the apology wasn’t accepted. She spoke of how there was a time when there were many different species of human, much like chimpanzees and bonobos.</p>
<p>“See,” Eve said slyly, looking at Koba. “Could have been worse. Imagine having to deal with <em>more</em> species of humans!”</p>
<p>The apes laughed and Koba cringed, looking like he wanted to be physically sick.</p>
<p><em>But what happened to them?</em> Cloud asked. <em>Where did they go?</em></p>
<p>“Went extinct thousands of years ago. Depending on who you ask they either went extinct because of competition from humans like me or they were bred into modern humans. Nobody knows for sure; it was too long ago.”</p>
<p><em>Extinct? </em>Ash asked, trying out the word. He paused and then turned to Eve eagerly. <em>So they all died?</em></p>
<p>Eve nodded. Ash thought it over.<em> So what happened to them is happening to humans now? </em>he asked innocently, not realising that he was stumbling into dangerous territory. He paused. <em>Does that mean you’re the last human?</em></p>
<p>The apes winced, and Travis glared at Ash. Koba’s eye glittered malevolently, waiting for Eve’s reaction, disappointed when he found nothing on her blank face. Only Maurice saw her eyelid twitch.</p>
<p>Tinker went to apologise but Eve held out a placating hand. “It’s okay,” Eve said, her voice flat and lifeless. “It’s probably true. The flu killed nine out of ten people, which takes out most of the population. Everyone else is probably dead from starvation or fighting.” Her eyes were glazed, and it was as if she wasn’t really there anymore. “The last human,” she murmured distantly.</p>
<p>“Eve …” Travis said, reaching out to touch her arm.</p>
<p>Her eyes focused abruptly, and her face twisted bitterly. “It’s for the best anyway. We had our chance. And we ruined it. We were so arrogant, thinking we could play God. We destroyed the planet, taking everything we could and giving nothing back, and then we destroyed ourselves. It’s exactly what we deserve. The world will be a better place now that we’re gone.”</p>
<p>A heavy silence fell, and the apes stared at Eve in shock. Koba’s mouth hung wide open in surprise and Caesar, the ape most sympathetic to humans, was visibly stunned by what she had said about her own species. Even the troop looked at her warily.  </p>
<p>Taking a few calming breaths, Eve’s face closed off and she stood up, jolting Sky. Looking down at them, her face was shadowed from them though Maurice could swear he could still see her eyes flaring brightly.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, almost embarrassed. Quickly bidding goodnight to everyone, she hurried away, leaving Travis and Luna scrambling to catch up to her and the rest of the troop gaping after her. As Maurice watched her go, he wondered whether she and Koba had more in common than anyone could have thought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eve couldn’t sleep. It had been hours since they had gone to bed and Eve was still awake, staring up at the ceiling, trying her hardest to stay still so she didn’t wake up Sky. Every time she closed her eyes and tried to settle, the tension from the campfire would fizz in her veins, making her want to toss and turn. Eventually, she gave up and decided it just wasn’t going to happen.</p>
<p>Slowly sitting up, Eve cradled Sky to her chest, trying to not to wake her. There was a snuffle and Sky turned her head slightly, but she didn’t stir, her eyes tightly closed. Getting up as quietly as she could, Eve squinted into the dark, just making out Travis beside her and Sugriva and Bad Ape on the other side of the room. Creeping around Travis, Eve froze when he heard his snores stutter but relaxed when they started up again and sneaked her way towards the cart. Silently putting on her oversized green double-breasted coat, Eve buttoned it up around Sky and slipped out the door. By the doorway, Luna’s head rose groggily, checking to see if she was an intruder. When she saw it was Eve, she eased herself back down and curled up, huffing.</p>
<p>It was a little more cramped now that they had moved out of the Shelter. Caesar had told them that they could stay there longer if they wanted to but when he’d told them that a hut was ready, Eve had jumped at the opportunity. She was keen to get a bit more privacy and she’d felt guilty about taking up space that could have been used for the sick. Even if getting three grown males, a woman, a baby orangutan, and a dog in there was a struggle, Eve was nonetheless happy with it. Sure, it was a squeeze, but she didn’t mind that. She preferred to sleep with her back the wall anyhow – it made her feel safer.</p>
<p>She liked where their hut was, higher up in the mountain. In the daytime, if she climbed up to the high point on the very top of the mountain, she could see the whole valley sprawled out below and the waterfall flowing into rivers and creeks, cutting through the rock and woods. If the sky were clear enough, she could sometimes see the Golden Gate Bridge flashing out through the mist. Looking at it brought up a painful heap of emotions that Eve didn’t even want to try identifying. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for but still, she looked, torturing herself with what could have been. Dad had wanted to bring them to San Francisco someday, so they could go on the cable cars and drive across the bridge. Only a few miles away now and, funnily enough, she still couldn’t get there – Caesar forbade anyone from going into the city.</p>
<p>Carefully picking her way through the dark, Eve headed up to the high point, her way lit up only by a few sputtering lanterns swaying in the wind. Tonight she was coming up here for a different reason; not to look down but to look <em>up</em>. Using the moonlight to illuminate her way, she ascended, feeling the wind pushing harder at her.</p>
<p>The sky was a deep black, dotted by beautiful pricks of light shining from the moons and the stars of space. The moon was full and beaming, so big that Eve could see the large pits and craters marring its pale surface. The cold bright stars winked at her and she felt icy blasts of air whistling around her, flapping at her coattails. Standing there, feeling the wind, earth and sky moving around her, she felt more at peace than she had been when she’d arrived. It reminded of those crisp clear nights back home when she would stand outside the house, staring up at the sky, feeling the wind flow through her fingers and she would almost feel powerful and magical like she was frozen in time and nothing could ever hurt her again.</p>
<p>For a moment, Eve closed her eyes and let herself sway with the wind, listening to the rustle of the trees and the distant sounds of animals howling. As she opened her eyes, she could see the moon’s rays visibly shining onto the flatbed of rock, faintly falling onto a dark figure standing on the opposite side of the ledge. <em>Koba.</em></p>
<p><em>Oh for fucks sake! </em>Eve thought, having to stop herself from saying it out loud. Out of all the apes she could have run into, it <em>had</em> to be him. He must have been standing there and staring at her the whole time. <em>Creep. Probably was thinking of pushing me off the cliff.</em></p>
<p>Koba glared at her, obviously wanting her gone, and Eve considered apologising and leaving but she stiffened her resolve. If he didn’t want her near him, <em>he </em>could go. So, planting her feet firmly into the ground, she turned away, doing her best to ignore him.</p>
<p>He rumbled a low growl at that and for a second she thought he was going to shove her, but he turned away at the last minute, throwing an irritated but not outright hateful look. <em>That’s an improvement I guess. </em>He loped off into the dark.</p>
<p>As soon as he was gone, Eve felt a rush of guilt and self-hatred. She shouldn’t have made him go – this was his home after all. She was the intruder. She should have just stayed home and kept out of his way. Spinning around on her heel, she went to leave when she heard a gentle gurgle and found herself looking into Maurice’s kindly face.</p>
<p><em>Maurice, </em>she signed, not sure if she was happy to see him or not. <em>I didn’t know you were still awake.</em></p>
<p>He smiled at her. <em>Usually, I would be asleep but had too many thoughts keeping me awake. I decided that looking upon the stars would be a good place to reflect.</em></p>
<p>Many thoughts keeping him awake? Eve could relate.</p>
<p><em>Why don’t you sit with me? </em>Maurice offered. He plopped himself down on a stone and beckoned Eve to join him. She sat on an opposite stone, keeping a polite distance. For a while, they sat in companionable silence looking at the sky and Eve began to feel herself relax. It was quite peaceful, sitting there in the quiet and the dark looking up at the stars.</p>
<p>
  <em>There's a starman waiting in the sky</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He'd like to come and meet us</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But he thinks he'd blow our minds …</em>
</p>
<p>Eve gritted her teeth, the lyrics whispering through her head. Not that fucking song.</p>
<p>Maurice rumbled quietly to get her attention. <em>You have many thoughts keeping you awake? </em>he asked sympathetically.</p>
<p><em>Oh no, </em>Eve thought. <em>I thought he might ask that. </em>She made a noncommittal noise and shifted uncomfortably. Maurice let the silence grow until she felt compelled to say something. <em>I suppose so, </em>she admitted reluctantly.</p>
<p>Maurice nodded. <em>Thinking about what was said at the fire?</em></p>
<p>Eve sighed. <em>Yeah. I feel bad for ranting at Ash like that. It wasn’t his fault. I just … I didn’t know how to feel about it.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>About possibly being the last human?</em>
</p>
<p>Eve nodded, her face haunted.</p>
<p>There was another pause. <em>Did you mean what you said? </em>Maurice asked gently. <em>You are happy that humans are gone?</em></p>
<p><em>Yes, </em>Eve signed quickly. <em>No. I … don’t know. If there any humans left, they’re not the good ones. The good ones are dead. </em>She barked a bitter laugh. <em>God, I sound like my father now. He was always such a cynical asshole.</em></p>
<p>Eve expected Maurice to tell her off for swearing but instead he gave a sympathetic look and leaned forward attentively. <em>You have never spoken of your father. Only your mother.</em></p>
<p>Eve swallowed. There was a good reason for that. In a way, it was harder to talk about him than Mom. But lately, she’d felt him looming in her mind more than ever. If it wasn’t him she was specifically thinking of it was <em>that</em> song. She probably would have liked that song if <em>he</em> didn’t have anything to do with it.</p>
<p>She hadn’t talked about him in years to <em>anyone, </em>let alone someone she barely knew. But looking at Maurice’s understanding and empathetic eyes, she felt comfortable. Safe, even. Maybe it would be good to talk about it after all this time with someone who wouldn’t judge her, who didn’t know all the things she had done. So she let her guard down.</p>
<p><em>That’s true, </em>she said, <em>he was gone. But not in the way you’d think. He went missing.</em></p>
<p>Maurice rumbled compassionately. <em>Is that why you do not speak of him? Because the memory is too painful for you?</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Not exactly … I was angry with him before he went. Before he left us.</em>
</p>
<p>Maurice frowned in confusion. Eve took a deep breath. <em>My Dad had problems. He’d drink. A lot. My brother said that he used to be different. I was too young to remember but he said Dad used to be happier. A lot more … relaxed about things. But then he enlisted into the army. Became a pilot. At the start, it wasn’t too bad. He wouldn’t be away for too long and he liked feeling useful like he was doing something for his country. But then the war started. The war in Afghanistan.</em></p>
<p><em>He changed after that. I wouldn’t remember any different, but Danny said he wasn’t the same when he got back. They discharged him due to his problems with PTSD so he couldn’t be a soldier anymore. So he just used to sit in the house all day. Sometimes he’d go days without talking. Sometimes he’d get angry for no reason. Sometimes he’d drink until he could barely stand up straight. He never hit us or call us names, but it hurt anyway. One minute he’d be fun daddy and he’d take us out with him and buy us everything we wanted. The next, he’d be a dribbling mess on the sofa that could hardly speak. Sometimes he went out for days without telling us where he went. </em>Eve ground her teeth. <em>Or </em>who<em> he was with. Mom deserved so much better than him. She knew what he was doing, that he was cheating on her with other women. I didn’t. I just thought he was going out on his ‘adventures’. I even thought his drinking was funny because he used to stumble about and say silly things.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>She stayed anyway. I think she thought that if she tried to keep us together as a family, it would work out. But it didn’t. I think my sister was the end for them. They hadn’t planned on having her and when Dad found out she was deaf, he seemed to think it was his fault. He blamed himself for having her too old. It wasn’t always easy trying to adjust for Amber, but he just – he never knew what to do with her. He tried, in his own way, but I think the guilt he felt every time he saw her made it too hard for him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He was like that with me – I didn’t really make it easy for him now that I think about it, but he never really understood me. Never knew how to … connect. He always got on better with Danny – guess it was easier for him since he was a boy. I mean, he wasn’t horrible to me. He did the usual father-daughter stuff when he wasn’t drunk, but I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t get it at the time, but I can see now that he was trying too hard. There were barely any times when he was just … calm. He always felt like he had to make up for how shitty he could be. But I didn’t care. I just wanted him to love me.</em>
</p>
<p><em>It went on like that for years. We would see less and less of Dad every time. Then suddenly he got sober. After all those years, just like that. It was like he’d come back to life. He was happy again. Healthy. Then we found out why. He’d found a new job at ANSA - the American National Space Administration. He was training to be an astronaut: someone that goes up into space. </em>Eve pointed up to the sky, indicating the black void around them. <em>We thought it was so cool – our Dad, astronaut! He used to call himself Starman, like his favourite song. </em>Eve smiled fondly at the memory, but it faded instantly.<em> But that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that he was going to Mars. And he was never coming back.</em></p>
<p>Eve’s jaw clenched and her eyes filled with the same tears of raw rage and grief she’d felt when they’d first found out. Maurice looked at her worriedly, wanting to comfort her, but decided it was better for her to let it all out.</p>
<p>
  <em>He tried to make out that it was a good thing. That he was making history. It was such bullshit. He just wanted an excuse to leave us all for good and, by God, he found it. He was too much of a coward to divorce my Mom and go off on his own like he really wanted to. He didn’t want to look like a bad guy. So does the next best thing and goes on a space mission where he gets to leave the world that he thought was doomed and get away from the ‘mindless’, ‘arrogant’ fellow human beings that he despised. And gets his nice little girlfriend to go with him too!</em>
</p>
<p>Eve’s breathing was fast and hot, and her hands were moving wildly. She stopped, fighting to control herself. She could hear Dad’s last words to Mom: <em>“Let me go, Gillian. Don’t you see? I’m setting you </em>free<em>. I’m finally setting you all free.”</em></p>
<p>Unexpectedly, all her anger flooded out of her and her whole body deflated. Gazing down at Sky’s face snugly tucked inside of her coat, all she felt was sad and tired. “I don’t want to be like that,” she whispered out aloud. “I don’t want to turn into my father. Sky deserves better than that.”</p>
<p><em>I am sure you are not, </em>Maurice said tenderly. <em>I have seen how you care for Sky. You truly are her mother.</em></p>
<p>Warmth flooded Eve’s chest and her throat ached with emotion. “Thank you,”she whispered, meaning every word.</p>
<p>Maurice smiled and they sat quietly together. <em>Can I ask you something? </em>he asked lightly.</p>
<p>
  <em>Of course.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Where is Mars? Is it one of the stars in the sky?</em>
</p>
<p><em>Mars is a planet. The red planet. If you look over there you see it. It’s the red one. </em>She pointed it out to Maurice, and he leaned forward, eyes narrowed intensely, nodding when he finally saw it.</p>
<p>
  <em>A planet?</em>
</p>
<p><em>Another world. Like ours. It rotates around the sun the same as we and the other planets do. For a long-time people dreamed of finding life on other planets. Especially Mars. Dad was obsessed. He said that ever since he was a kid he was fascinated with space. He taught me all about it. Sometimes he would take me stargazing and he would show me where all the planets and the stars were. He’d try and get Danny and Amber to go but they were never interested. I was the only one that would go. It was nice. </em>Eve grimaced at the wistful note in her voice.</p>
<p>Maurice was enthralled. <em>So there are many planet and stars in space?</em></p>
<p>Eve grinned at Maurice’s enthusiasm. <em>Yep. Sometimes it can be hard to tell them apart. You see that really bright one over there? Most people assume it’s a star but it’s actually a planet called Venus. It’s the third brightest thing in the sky after the sun and the moon.</em></p>
<p><em>Venus, </em>Maurice mused. <em>We call it the Wandering Orangutan because of how it can often disappear and reappear in the sky so quickly.</em></p>
<p><em>I like Wandering Orangutan better, </em>Eve said. <em>Much more legendary. The only reason it moves around so much is because of its rotation around the sun. It’s the second closest planet to the sun so it gets lost in the sun’s glare a lot of the time. You see it for a few months when it’s at its greatest elongation – when it’s furthest away from the sun. This happens … what, every 1.6 years, and you can see it in the morning or in the evening depending on whether its east or west to the sun. Going from morning to evening takes longer than the other way around as Venus travels a longer path behind the sun so it usually takes a year for it to appear in the evening. </em></p>
<p>She was surprised at how it all came so easily to mind, how detailed it was. Of course, Dad had talked about it in the past, but star gazing hadn’t exactly been on her mind in the last few years. It had been an age since then (seven and a half years, her mind corrected). Most people would have forgotten that by now, surely? She was sure that she hadn’t been able to remember stuff like that before …</p>
<p>Maurice was impressed. <em>Your father taught you much. He must have spent a lot of time teaching you these things for you to know so much. He must have enjoyed your time together.</em></p>
<p>Eve chuckled. She knew what he was doing, trying to evoke positive memories of Dad. <em>Yeah. I guess he did. </em>She thought back over those quiet little memories and it was like she could hear Dad telling her about every star, constellation, conjunction, planet, galaxy, and universe as if it were the first time. She felt a pang of longing for him. Maybe it hadn’t been all bad with him. </p>
<p><em>I don’t know what happened to him, </em>she told Maurice. <em>They lost contact shortly after Dad’s ship entered Mars’ atmosphere. </em>She hesitated. <em>It’s confusing, </em>she admitted. <em>I hate him. I hate him for what he did to Mom, for what he did to us. For abandoning us. But at the same time, I still love him. I still miss him. I miss the person he was when he was sober. And maybe, in the end, I can understand why he was like that. I’ve seen too much death not to. I just … I hope he found what he was looking for. I hope it was worth it. </em>As she finished, she practically felt a weight lifting off of her and she could breathe easier. The pain was still there but she felt … lighter.</p>
<p>Maurice nodded, looking away in thought. <em>I think love and hate can make for strange thoughts, </em>he finally said. <em>And you have reason to love and hate your father. But I think that forgiving your father would help you … not to forget but to make peace with him. Make peace with your memory of him.</em></p>
<p>Eve bobbed her head deliberately and gazed off into the darkened valleys below, unable to meet Maurice’s eyes. <em>I don’t think I’m good enough for forgiveness, </em>she conceded, <em>but I can accept it for what it is. I can accept it.</em></p>
<p>A hush fell over them and Eve got up, at last feeling tired out. Looking down at Maurice, she felt a sting of shame that she’d let herself be so emotional and intimate around other person and she apologised for ranting at him.</p>
<p>Maurice shook his head. <em>You should not apologise. I asked and you answered. It feels better to talk about these things rather than caging them up inside. </em>He smiled. <em>Goodnight Eve.</em></p>
<p>Wishing him goodnight too, Eve went to leave when she stopped. There was one thing she had left out. After everything she had told him, she owed him this. “Evelyn Marie Taylor,” she said. “That’s my full name.” And she turned away and walked home, strangely content, humming the chorus of <em>Starman</em> under her breath.</p>
<p>She didn’t notice him watching her that time either.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So we've finally found out who Evie's father is! And don't worry, I'm not going to be switching to classic POTA stuff and you won't have to watch it to get it, just thought it would be a nice little easter egg. Its technically canon too since if you rewatch Rise of the Planet of the Apes you'll see that there are hints to Taylor's crew disappearing on a mission to Mars just before Casaer says "NO!" for the first time.<br/>Also, to any classic POTA fans, I don't claim to have written Taylor perfectly as I haven't watched or read much of the classic stuff, so my version of Taylor might as well be OC.  I more got the inspiration for Evie being Taylor's daughter from the book Death of the Planet of the Apes, where it explains that Taylor had a family and alcohol problems before he went to the Planet of the Apes. He's not going to be mentioned much anyway.<br/>On the last note, in case anyone didn't know, the song mentioned is Starman by David Bowie. I highly recommend it :)<br/>Anyway, please give me feedback so I know to keep going and stay safe :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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